OSU closes investigation of Holmes
10/15/2010COLUMBUS - Ohio State has closed a brief investigation of alleged payments by an agent to former Buckeyes football player Santonio Holmes five years ago after consulting with the NCAA, which is not pursuing the matter.
The alleged incident was reported in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated.
"During an interview on Wednesday, Holmes stated he never received money or benefits from an agent," Ohio State said in a statement released Friday. "The institution has contacted the Agents, Gambling, and Amateurism staff at the NCAA, and the NCAA has stated it does not intend to investigate anything further related to the allegations."
The university did not say why the NCAA was closing the books on the matter, but since it allegedly took place in November, 2005, it would be beyond the organization's four-year statute of limitations for infractions.
In the SI article, former agent Josh Luchs said he approached Holmes, right after Holmes' junior season at Ohio State. Holmes, who caught the winning touchdown pass in the 2009 Super Bowl while with the Pittsburgh Steelers, now plays for the New York Jets.
"We met him outside the football building," Luchs said in the article. "And he said, 'Listen, I want to save you the time. We don't need to meet. I've been taking money from [an agent] the last couple years, and he's been taking care of my family too.'•"