As you may remember, he has been suspended following his arrest on charges of assault, specifically during an altercation with the mother of his child.

This comes after reports that the alleged victim in the situation fully recanted her earlier testimony, and in addition to speculation that the testimony may have been less than accurate.

The Associate Press quotes Coach Meyer as follows-

As I had indicated previously, if there are any changes in the charges against Storm, I would re-evaluate his status. The charges that would have violated our core values have been totally dismissed. I have spoken extensively to members of both families and that has prompted me to re-assess his situation and allow him back.

Klein will still miss two games to open this season, and has missed the entirety of Fall Practice thus far.

Your reaction to this may depend on your perspective prior to recent events in this story. For those who are looking for a reason to praise Coach Meyer for waiting for the truth to come out and do “what is right” by his student athletes, you can find rationale in this.  For others who are interested in Coach Meyer’s “record” at Florida and elsewhere regarding players’ legal issues, this only reinforces your perception that he is soft in these matters.

As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle- and will more than likely never fully come to light in the same media that would rather project and support whatever narrative they’ve chosen.

At any rate, we wish everyone involved in this situation the healing and closure that they deserve.

I'm Guessing Another 'Conversation' Will Happen Soon

Numerous reports Sunday from Alliance initially indicated that freshman tailback Brionte Dunn was arrested over the weekend, although the specific issue wasn’t initially known.

Given the past few months of “off field” issues for Ohio State, as well as Urban Meyer’s early stance regarding representing the team well, there was a lot of speculation that this would result in significant missed time for the rookie. Early news also indicated that Brionte was on the wrong side of the law earlier in June with a minor traffic infraction.

Now, the Canton Repository is reporting that the alleged arrest was actually a citation, but has more details on the incident. According to the article, Dunn was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt, and a routine search of the vehicle found a marijuana pipe. There was another passenger in the vehicle; both were cited and no ownership or responsibility for the pipe was indicated.

This would be the sixth player to be involved with law enforcement since Coach Meyer took over the program, although Dunn is the first to be a part of one of Urban’s recruiting classes.

Dunn is expected to see significant time in the Buckeye offense this season, particularly with Jordan Hall’s unexpected injury keeping him out of the pre-season.  Reports from Spring Practice indicated that he was one of the athletes that had caught the staff’s eye due to his work ethic and “fit” in the offense.

At this time, the University is in the “fact finding” stage of the matter and could not comment. We’ll keep you updated as this develops.

From this evenings’ press release-

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior linebacker Storm Klein has been dismissed from the Ohio State football team by head coach Urban Meyer because of actions that led to his arrest Friday on charges of domestic violence and assault.

Klein pleaded not guilty to the charges Saturday morning, but his arrest and the seriousness of the allegations warranted Meyer to remove him from the team.

“The charges filed against Storm Klein violate the core values of the Ohio State Football Program,” Meyer said. “As a result, Storm has been removed from the team. It has been made very clear that this type of charge will result in dismissal. If there are any changes in the charges, we will re-evaluate his status.”

Klein, a sport and leisure studies major from Newark, Ohio, is a three-year letterman. He played in 38 games and started 10 times at middle linebacker last year. He was limited in practice this spring because of some minor injuries and he subsequently came out of those drills listed as a back-up at middle linebacker.

According to NBC4, in Klein’s arrest came from a dispute with a person regarding their future relationship. In addition,

(t)he prosecutor said in court, “The defendent then grabbed the prosecuting witness and wrapped his arms around her body and grabbed her forearms causing scrapes. He purposefully threw her against the front door causing her head to hit the door. There were pictures that detailed these injuries.

“There were noticeable injuries all over the prosecuting witness’ body including to her arms.”

Tim May at the Columbus Dispatch added the following-

Klein’s defense team indicated that the alleged victim showed up at the apartment unannounced to talk about their failed relationship, started raising havoc and was forcibly put outside the apartment front door by Klein, who then locked the door.

Storm becomes the third Buckeye dismissed from the team, joining DerJuan Gambrell and Dominic Clark from earlier in the year. Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort have had their scholarships removed and are working toward restoration; Jamaal Berry also left the team following an incident with law enforcement.

Storm Klein

“Nothing good ever happens after 10 PM”- Jim Tressel

“Nothing good ever happens on Fridays…” Urban Meyer?

Reports Friday night surfaced that charges were filed earlier in the day against Senior Buckeye linebacker Storm Klein. Klein is expected to be arraigned on Saturday.

The official report (Case No. 2012 CR B 016728) cites allegations of domestic violence and assault, and has a 9:00 am trip to the courthouse on the schedule. This would be Klein’s second assault incident; charges were dropped in a case from August of 2010.

Klein, from Licking Valley in Hanover Ohio, started for ten contests during the 2011 season, but slipped to second team behind rising sophomore Curtis Grant.

If accurate, this will be the second “legal issue” for Meyer’s Buckeyes, following Stoneburner and Mewhort’s bladder control issues during the Memorial tournament.

In that case, both students were stripped of their scholarships, although they are working toward being restored to their places on the team.

Earlier, Jamaal Berry and Dominick Clark both saw their places on the team revoked following legal issues that occurred early in Meyer’s tenure.

It’s important to note that, at this time, the process is still ongoing- including any investigation, hearing, and potential sanctioning. As such, speculation regarding his tenure with the university or the football program are unwise.

We’ll keep you updated as this develops.