Posey hit with five more games
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KyleRowland">Rowland | Givler
The NCAA announced Friday that DeVier Posey will be suspended five additional games, starting Nebraska, after receiving $720 booster Bobby DiGeronimo for work that was not performed.
In addition, Posey was also found to have received $102 in greens fees from Columbus-based photographer .
"I am extremely disappointed with the NCAA's decision regarding DeVier Posey," Ohio State Athletics Director Gene Smith said in a statement released by the University. "This penalty is harsh considering the nature of the violation and the five game suspension already served by this student athlete."
Marcus Hall, Dan Herron and Melvin Fellows are all suspended for one game for the similar offense but for less than $300 apiece. Fellows is currently under a medical hardship and his suspension cannot be served at this time and will have to be served in the 2012 season.
All of the players must repay the benefits to charity before they are eligible for reinstatement.
Columbus attorney Larry James is representing all four players and is puzzled and unhappy with the NCAA's decision against his client in Posey. Especially because of Posey's relationship with Pryor, a player who was nothing short of a lightning rod during his final year in Columbus when it came to NCAA matters.
"My hunch is for some reason they have discredited him because he was close to Terrelle," James said in an interview Friday evening with the Associated Pres. "I think that's what it is. As a result of that, they don't want to believe anything that we put forward. But I can't prove that."
Posey and Herron both missed the first five games of the season after admitting to being involved in other violations, violations that ultimately led to the resignation of then head coach Jim Tressel and the decision to leave school early by then quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
With these latest transgressions being reported the question on the minds of all Ohio State fans is when the NCAA will rule on the overall Ohio State investigation. It was believed that it would come down some time in October but during a Monday press conference Smith felt that would be delayed.
Ohio State has already self-imposed two years of probation, returning its share of monies earned at the 2011 Sugar Bowl and vacating the 2010 season from the record books. At this point the NCAA has not labeled Ohio State to have exhibited Lack of Institutional Control or Failure to Monitor but both of those charges could still be on the table the longer that this goes on.
The Buckeyes will be without all four players this weekend in Lincoln (Neb.) as the team takes on the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night. The team is already on the ground in Nebraska and none of the affected players made the trip with the team. If the NCAA reinstatement process goes as planned the three players (minus Posey) will be eligible for Ohio State's next game, a trip to Champaign (Ill.) to take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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