For the second time in two days, Ohio State football player Louis Irizarry was brought before Franklin County Judge James E. Green. In Irizarry’s revocation of probation hearing yesterday, Green ruled the tight end had violated his probation and would remain in jail and be held without bond.
Irizarry has been at the Franklin County prison since early Saturday morning. He was jailed after being arrested and charged with robbery, a second-degree felony. Along with running back Ira Guilford, Irizarry was accused to have assaulted and stolen the wallet of another OSU student, Kenneth Whitwell, according to police reports. Both players were brought before Green for an arraignment hearing Monday.
Guilford was released from prison shortly after the hearing on a $25,000 bond. At the time, Irizarry’s bond was also set at $25,000, but he was held on the accusation of breaking his probation rules.
On Jan. 9, Irizarry was put on probation for one year after pleading guilty to assault charges. He was charged with assault in October following an OSU residence hall incident. In an argument with his girlfriend, Irizarry had struck two OSU male students and pushed his girlfriend.
Irizarry was suspended from the football team after the October incident and did not resume play until the Fiesta Bowl.
“I don’t recall what the coach’s discipline was,” OSU athletics director Andy Geiger said. “He had to go through all kinds of university sanctioned things.”
Geiger said Irizarry was removed from the OSU residence halls as a result of the assault but did not know the actions Student Affairs took in the case.
Both Irizarry and Guilford have been indefinitely suspended from playing with the Buckeyes and it is likely they will not return for the 2004 season, said coach Jim Tressel in a statement Saturday.
A preliminary hearing in the robbery charges will be held for both players on May 11.
