The NCAA on Tuesday reinstated Ohio State football defensive back Corey Brown, junior running back Jordan Hall and junior defensive back Travis Howard, according to an athletic department release.
The release said that the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff decided the players can play after repaying $200 to a charity. Brown, Hall and Howard received white envelopes containing $200 from a university booster at Feb. 19 charity event in Cleveland.
“The university appreciates the NCAA’s expeditious response in reinstating these three student athletes,” OSU athletics director Gene Smith said in the release.
The release, sent by OSU spokesman Dan Wallenberg, also said:
“Reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete’s involvement are determined. This is typically well in advance of infractions decisions. The enforcement investigation into the Ohio State University is ongoing.”
With Brown, Hall and Howard sidelined by suspension, the Buckeyes began their 2011 season with a 42-0 victory against Akron in the Sept. 3 season opener, as well as a 27-22 win against Toledo on Saturday.
Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas, who each sold OSU football memorabilia and received improper benefits in the form of tattoos, will remain suspended until the team’s Oct. 8 game at Nebraska.
The Buckeyes will next travel to Miami for a Saturday game against the Miami Hurricanes (0-1) at Sun Life Stadium. The 7:30 p.m. game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
