Ohio State has a football problem.

On the heels of one arrest for marijuana trafficking and one citation for possession of marijuana, another OSU football player has had a run-in with the law. Tim Schafer, a junior defensive lineman, was charged with disorderly conduct early Saturday morning for being involved in a brawl outside a bar in the Arena District.

Schafer is the third OSU football player to be involved with the police within the past 11 days. Redshirt freshman place-kicker Jonathan Skeete was arrested May 11 for dealing drugs, and fellow redshirt freshman tailback Erik Haw was charged with marijuana possession Wednesday.

These arrests and charges raise the tally to 15 football players charged with crimes since coach Jim Tressel took over in 2001.

Simply saying that Tressel needs more discipline for his players is not enough anymore, this sentiment has been beaten into the ground. While these latest offenses are not numerous and severe enough to merit dismissing Tressel, they do raise more serious debate about the track OSU’s football program appears to be heading down.

Tressel needs to impose harsher penalties on his players for breaking the law. There is no room for debate when there is a zero tolerance policy. He needs to set forth strict punishment for the players, such as removing them from the team when they break the law.

Only by being strict and upfront with his players will Tressel get them to understand the repercussions that come with violating the law. Playing football at OSU is an honor and a privilege, but it is not an inalienable right.

OSU football players must realize they are ambassadors for the university. When the football program fails off the field, it casts a shadow on the rest of the university. Buckeye football players must grasp this concept if OSU is to clean up its act.

These problems cannot simply be blamed on poor recruiting. Every team will have its fair share of troublemakers. By all accounts, Skeete was an intelligent person with a good head on his shoulders. He received several academic scholarships and carried a 3.7 grade-point average while in high school.

Then he was busted for selling marijuana to an undercover police officer. Incidents like this must have Tressel shaking his head, both literally and figuratively.

Setting a strict and public policy of zero tolerance is the only way for Tressel to get his message across to his players. Only then will OSU shed its football problem and regain its football program.