OSU pulls scholarships from 2 players

6/16/2012

COLUMBUS -- Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said late Friday night that suspended football players Jack Mewhort and Jake Stoneburner will lose their scholarships for the summer academic session but have the opportunity to rejoin the team in "good standing" well before the season.

Meyer made the punishment public after Mewhort, a junior left tackle and St. John's Jesuit graduate, and Stoneburner, a senior tight end, formally moved on from their recent misdemeanor arrests. The players pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and will have to pay $299 in fines and court costs, according to the Delaware Municipal Court Web site.

"We are disappointed with the decisions made recently by two of our football players. Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort will each be removed from athletic scholarship beginning with the summer term, and they will continue to be suspended from team activities until stipulations are successfully met," Meyer said in a statement. "They will have an opportunity to return to the team in good standing following the summer session."

An OSU spokesman said Mewhort and Stoneburner will have access to team facilities but cannot work out with other players

Both players are expected to regain their scholarships in the fall.

Mewhort and Stoneburner were suspended by Meyer earlier this month after police in Shawnee Hills, Ohio, charged the pair with obstruction of official business. According to an incident report, Mewhort and Stoneburner along with a third man momentarily fled after police spotted them urinating on the side of a building.

Mewhort and Stoneburner are expected to be leaders of Meyer's first Ohio State team.