Top College News

OSU football player Jaamal Berry involved in assault

castle.121@osu.edu

Published: Thursday, September 29, 2011

Updated: Friday, June 15, 2012 22:06

Jaamal Berry

Cody Cousino / Photo editor

Jaamal Berry

Ohio State tailback Jaamal Berry was admitted and released from the OSU Medical Center Wednesday after what an OSU police report described as an "assault" on another student.

The incident occurred Wednesday morning on the South Oval by Enarson Hall. No charges were filed, and while the victim's name was included in the police report, The Lantern has chosen not to name him. The report said the victim "sustained bruises on his neck from this event."

Berry's name was the only one blacked out of the report but multiple sources confirmed to The Lantern that he was the other student involved. The OSU police report listed the incident as an assault, a misdemeanor in the first degree, with use of weapons including "hands, feet, teeth."

At about 10:25 a.m., two males were witnessed "wrestling on the ground" in the South Oval, according to the police report. The primary witness is a university employee who declined to comment, but said in the police report that Berry was muttering things such as "I don't know what is going on around me."

The report said Berry "appeared confused and disoriented and was unable to tell me his name."

The OSU police officer on the scene observed that Berry was "mentally unable to provide me with any of his emergency contact information," and Berry voluntarily went to the OSU emergency department.

The associate director of athletics communication, Jerry Emig, said the department is aware of the incident and do not know if it will affect his play in the game on Saturday.

"He's had a number of tests from doctors to try to figure out what caused the incident," Emig said. "Our primary concern is his health and well being."

One of the witnesses requested to remain anonymous but spoke to The Lantern in an email. The witness said she "saw a student laying on the ground and a middle-aged woman standing above him asking if he was okay. The middle-aged woman said that the student on the ground had attacked another student. The student on the ground, who was later identified as Jaamal Berry, was clearly out of sorts and appeared to be quite disconnected from his surroundings."

No alcohol was smelled or involved, according to the police report.

Attempts to reach the victim and another witness Thursday were unsuccessful.

OSU Deputy Police Chief Richard Morman said the department doesn't "release information on people that would be considered an uncharged suspect."

Berry was admitted to the emergency room Wednesday morning and was discharged, an operator at the OSU Medical Center confirmed to The Lantern Thursday evening. His reason for admittance was not able to released, she said.

Recommended: Articles that may interest you

Facebook Comments
Site Comments

Fri Sep 30 2011 18:06

You are all in denial about the football players! According to all of you they should all get a pass on everything because of all of this stuff they have brought on themselves. What a joke!

Fri Sep 30 2011 16:48

Wow! Let's just give the guy a pass because he has a concussion? Not hold him responsible? Too much of that goes on at OSU now! Turn the other cheek or sweep it under the rug! Class act!

Fri Sep 30 2011 15:33

Oh how noble of the Lantern to protect the victim, all while doing their very best to drag the football program through the mud (again) by hollering from the rafters that an Ohio State football players was involved in. . .uhh. . .involved in something. . .

Fri Sep 30 2011 14:29

Wow. So much rehtoric with out facts. How about: the un-named student was not hurt, didn't press charges, refused medical treatment because J. Berry really was non-compass-mentus! Drugs, stroke, concussion, makes no difference. The man needed help one way or the other and he got it. To point fingers and play the blame game or say the progam is in a shambles, no facts. Why jump to "what about medical treatment for the other student". How in the H#!! do you know he was not offered treatment and refused. Do some research and find some facts before you jump on the "hate wagon". As for the author, she's on staff of the campus paper, learning her craft. If one of you is God's gift to jounalistic writing, grab pen and paper and investigate.

Fri Sep 30 2011 14:23

"Jamaal Berry a public figure (someone infrom Obama LOL)" so the Lantern helped create the out of control egoes before it commenced to tearing them down? LOL

Fri Sep 30 2011 14:20

@Anon-That was a nice FANTASY Lantern speech because we both know if there turns out to be some reason for Jamaal's behavior the damage would has already been done and the Lantern will make a half a@ effort to repair his image. Just be honest and say you have a bias against the FB players and a lot of people see it. Yes past Prima Donna behavior has warranted some FB team scrutiny but don't dare try to be all high and mighty hiding behind journalistic integrity...BULLSH@!!!!! AGAIN keep ALL names PRIVATE until the facts are VERIFIED and PROVEN.......

Fri Sep 30 2011 12:35

What a poorly written story! Chelsea Castle should be ashamed to have her name attached to this mess, but...she's not. I know 12-year old kids who can write better than Chelsea. What a shame...

Fri Sep 30 2011 12:15

Jamaal Berry is a public figure by choice, so his name gets printed. When you sign on as an athlete at a major D-I FBS institution, you accept that role as a public figure, which forgoes certain individual rights.

If he attacked another student who did NOT make that choice and is just an average student, then that student should not be subjected to the public until more information is obtained. Berry could have been going crazy and just attacked a completely innocent passerby, and this OSU fanbase has shown that it cannot always separate their loyalty for the sport from the players who have done wrong, therefore potentially exposing an innocent student to ridicule and maybe physical harm by a Jamaal Berry fan.

I commend the Lantern for their approach in this instance. IF the unnamed student proves to have been the one at fault or did something to cause this, then that will be the time to release his name. But if that student is truly a victim, then there is no reason to publicly humiliate him. If you cannot see that, then you are part of the reason why it is necessary to protect the unnamed student.

Fri Sep 30 2011 11:59

First of all: Fire Gene Smith. He is ruining OSU athletics.

Secondly: The writing of this article is more than adequate. Does it really need to be idiosyncratic, considering that the majority of people who will read this are now-intoxicated former high-school "all-star athletes"?

Fri Sep 30 2011 11:29

Could this be a concussion? I heard a report on NPR that concussions can have severe behavioral consequences but tend to be largely ignored.

Fri Sep 30 2011 10:40

Berry's was arrested for felony marijuana possession before he even stepped foot on campus. that's a fact. sorry, but he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, he should be kicked off the team

Fri Sep 30 2011 09:40

Wait you release the ATHLETE'S name when it was blacked out in police report BUT kept the other MALE'S name private???? I assumed until I saw the "him" it was some type of assault on a female. This feels like biased reporting against an athlete!!!!! When will we keep ALL names private until the FACTS ARE VERIFIED!!!! Lets see I drove hours to Penn St to support the Buckeyes (my child's team, sorry not spoiled FB players) and got hungry so I went to Subway on campus...BIG MISTAKE!!! Guess how many DRUNK students kept knocking me over in the line?? Maybe I should have asked how many were athletes and not some pampered rich kids. NOT ALL ATHLETES ARE DRUNKS or do DRUGS you FOOLS!!!!

Fri Sep 30 2011 09:37

There is a good reason to leave the other student out. for example: Have any of you ever seen the hate and vitrol put on Kyle Kalis for changing to go to Michigan, death threats, wishing he gets a career ending injury, what would possibly happen to this student? Until all facts are in, I say leave him alone, good chance he would need to leave school. Brilliant!!!

Fri Sep 30 2011 09:19

Brotha couldn't handle his drugs that early in the morning. Another great representative of our fine University. Stay classy OSU!

Fri Sep 30 2011 09:05

Give these student reporters a break. They are the first to report the story. They can't print information they don't have. Overall the facts as they have them are in the article. Everybody is so critical of everything and everybody. I say good job of reporting! This information was probably hard to come by. No other paper or internet site has any information. I'm sure we"ll find out more as the days go by. Concern should be for both parties involved. Try not to 2nd guess everything or jump to conclusions. These two people are way more important than the football team.

Fri Sep 30 2011 06:45

IF he seemed out of it after an assault it would be from a concussion, not drugs. Some of you people are a bunch of morons.

Fri Sep 30 2011 02:00

Actually it starts with booze!

Fri Sep 30 2011 01:22

Thomas, you're an idiot who clearly knows nothing about marijuana.

Fri Sep 30 2011 00:37

Because he's black

Fri Sep 30 2011 00:25

Yup you're right, it's all Gene Smith's fault. He should have been there with Berry so this would not have happened. Why doesn't he dispatch his compliance agents to follow the players and watch they're every move? Do you really hate him because he's doing a bad job or because he's black?

Add comment

I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

log out

This site is powered by: is a member of the Official Music Sponsor: