Ohio State very recently learned that they will will be without defensive end Noah Spence today, and for the foreseeable future. He has tested positive, again, for ecstasy.
The first time he tested positive, the Big Ten wanted to suspend him for a year, but upon appeal, dropped that down to three games (one of which was the Orange Bowl). This time, the suspension is indefinite, and is likely to eat up the better part of his remaining two years of eligibility. If not all of it.
Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch describes Noah Spence like this:
Noah Spence in all other ways has been a model Buckeye. Along with his on-field play and academic work, for which he has been recognized as an OSU scholar athlete, he taken part in numerous community service and outreach programs in his three years along most of the other players.
And Spence issued this statement to the Dispatch, just this morning:
"I want to apologize to my family, Ohio State's coaching staff, the Big Ten Conference and Buckeye Nation for the disappointment. I will work extremely hard to get healthy and to one day use this unfortunate situation to be a positive role model for others. Thank you."
His parents have vowed to get him medical help, too, so let's hope they can all find a way to get Noah Spence off the E, and when that's done, let's hope someone can be reasonable and find a way to get him back in a football uniform. After this week in football, it would seem insane to kill a student-athlete's career for taking a drug that inspires too much hugging.
[Photo credit: AP]