Last Tuesday, OSU football walk-on Bo Delande was arrested when an officer pulled him over on campus and discovered that the running back was drunk. Strike one.
Not only was Delande drunk, but his breathalyzer test put him at .133 percent, nearly double Ohio’s legal limit. Strike two.
Did I mention that Delande is underage? Strike three.
But is he out?
On one hand, the university prides itself in its stalwart stance against drunk driving. On the other hand, the university prides itself on its athletics. When school officials have to deal with the ugly mix of drunk-driving athletes, they face a conflict of interest.
The answers are easy enough on paper. In February, OSU Police awarded Officer Kyle Howell with a Distinguished Service Award to go along with his 2008 Law Enforcement Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The university evidently is proud that he made 66 DUI arrests in 2008, giving him a career tally of 342. Everyone loves to see such heroism, and there is no denying Howell’s merit.
In Officer Howell’s case, the university made an example of someone who defended the public from drunk drivers. So why shouldn’t it equally make examples of its offenders?
Before Delande, the last Buckeye DUI came from defensive tackle Doug Worthington. He, last year, was also arrested on campus for drunk driving, and his BAC was twice the legal limit. He pleaded guilty, was fined $350 by the state and had his jail sentence suspended – a mild penalty, but one doled out through the state’s defined policy against drunk driving.
The university’s policy is ambiguous at best. According to the Code of Student Conduct at OSU, students can be penalized by the university for off-campus behavior if they endanger a member of the university community or take part in any activity that results in a police report. Being arrested for drunk driving certainly falls under both categories.
Then, if the university officials choose to take action, they perform an investigation, maybe make charges against the student, and then take action through a subjective hearing panel or officer. Punishments range from an “informal admonition” to dismissal from the university.
Needless to say, Worthington was not dismissed.
But there is still hope for justice when the university fails to rein in drunk-driving athletes. Football coach Jim Tressel has the right to discipline his players when they have these criminal hiccups. But Tressel didn’t think his starter’s DUI folly was worthy of a formal suspension. He benched the tackle for portions of the first three games of the Buckeyes’ season last year, and then washed his hands clean of the matter.
The plague of DUIs in college football is nothing new, and it isn’t unique to OSU. Including Delande, six NCAA football players were arrested for drunk driving in April. Three of them have been suspended by their teams and two others will likely be suspended.
Delande, who goes to court today, is awaiting disciplinary action.
The only thing that is clear is that OSU lacks a formal, comprehensive policy on drunk driving. The code of conduct clearly states that students can’t cheat in the classroom, but it says nothing about drunk driving. University officials didn’t think twice when they honored Officer Howell, and they shouldn’t think twice about developing a judicial process that stops DUIs from falling through the cracks.
And coach Tressel, three strikes is three strikes. Delande should get the boot.
Collin Binkley is The Lantern copy chief. He can be reached at [email protected].
