Sale of OSU gold pants may pique NCAA’s interest again
Posted by John Taylor
The issue of current and/or former Ohio State football players selling awards/trinkets/memorabilia has reared its head yet again, although this time the news comes from a very unusual source — The History Channel.
Specifically, the cable network’s show Pawn Stars.
As relayed by our buddy at SportsByBrooks.com, a new episode of the (my description, not his) highly-addictive show that aired Monday night featured a man who came into the Las Vegas pawn shop looking to sell a two pairs of gold pants. And not the kind that MC Hammer wrought on the nation, either.
For those who are unaware of the trinket’s meaning, each member of the OSU football program is awarded a pair of the pendant-sized gold pants pictured on the right for beating archrival Michigan. The selling of those particular items was part of what led to the Buckeye Five’s five-game suspensions for receiving impermissible benefits. And, based on this latest literal episode, could lead to further NCAA scrutiny.
The man attempting to sell the items claimed that one pair of the gold pants was from 2008 and belonged to former OSU defensive lineman Doug Worthington. The other pair belonged to someone with the initials “L.B.” and “Bob the seller” claimed they were for an ex-player with a surname of Boone, although he was uncertain of the first name. Those pants were from the 2002 Ohio State-Michigan game, so they would be of little interest (for now) to the NCAA given the length of time that’s passed.
The pair from 2008, however, would definitely fall within the NCAA’s four-year statute of limitations and will likely result in additional probing.
“Bob the seller” claimed he “bought those off a private collector. He had bought several of them (gold pants) and I bought a collection off of him a few years ago.” Regardless of where the man acquired them — and how asinine the bylaw is that prevents players from selling something that’s theirs — we suspect the NCAA will be very interested in this latest development.
That’s provided, of course, it can be proven Worthington — if they were his — did the selling and the sale occurred while he still had eligibility.
Top 32 College Basketball Teams for 2011-12
according to Luke Winn si.com
1. North Carolina: If the Tar Heels pull off the coup of keeping first-round picks Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller in school for an extra year, they’ll have the country’s most talented starting five, and be the clear national title favorite.
2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes will once again be built around the beastly, back-to-basket game of All-America power forward Jared Sullinger, but look for fellow sophomore Deshaun Thomas to put up big offensive numbers in a starting frontcourt role.
3. Duke: Freshman combo guard Austin Rivers, Rivals.com’s No. 1 overall recruit and a son of Celtics coach Doc, is an electric scorer with expansive range. He, Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins should form the country’s sweetest-shooting backcourt.
4. Syracuse: The Orange lack a transcendent star, but they have enough experience (in the upperclassmen 1-2-3 punch of Scoop Jardine, Brandon Triche and Kris Joseph) and depth to win the Big East and make a run at the Final Four.
5. Kentucky: The next wave at One-and-Done U is headlined by the Class of 2011′s No. 1 point guard (Marquis Teague) and No. 1 small forward (Mike Gilchrist). They’ll join returnees Darius Miller and Doron Lamb in a stacked starting lineup.
6. Kansas: Thomas Robinson, the nation’s most productive backup big man in ’10-11, is the key: If he holds off on the NBA, the Jayhawks can still win the Big 12. Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford, who have bided their time in the backcourt rotation behind more veteran guards, are capable of breakout seasons.
7. Florida: Billy Donovan has a backcourt bumper crop, with Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton set to be joined by Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario and super-frosh Brad Beal. The big questions: Are there enough shots to go around for four scoring-minded guards, and are the Gators strong enough in the frontcourt to contend with Kentucky in the SEC?
8. Butler: The Bulldogs will remain powerful if Shelvin Mack passes on the draft after testing the waters. Khyle Marshall’s NCAA tournament success suggests he could be their next frontcourt star, and Chrishawn Hopkins is the future of their backcourt. It just seems unwise, at this juncture, to leave a Brad Stevens team out of the top 10.
9. Pittsburgh: Reasons to remain bullish on the Panthers despite key senior departures: Ashton Gibbs, who’s unlikely to remain in the draft, is the Big East’s most efficient scoring guard, and forwards Dante Taylor and Talib Zanna — both big-time offensive rebounders off the bench — are primed for breakout seasons.
10. Wisconsin: Jordan Taylor, who had a 3.83-to-1 assist-to-turnover rate as a junior, should be a preseason All-America at the point, and carrot-fro’d junior Mike Bruesewitz is ready to become the featured forward in the Badgers’ swing offense.
11. Louisville: Departed guard Preston Knowles was the heart of the Cards, but they return everyone else, plus add blue-chip forwards Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear. This is Peyton Siva’s year to emerge as a star point guard.
12. Cincinnati: Few believed in the Bearcats when they started 15-0, but they finished a respectable 11-7 in the Big East and won a game in the NCAA tournament, creating momentum heading into ’11-12. Their top four possession-users — guards Sean Kilpatrick, Dion Dixon and Cashmere Wright and power forward Yancy Gates — are all back, and as one of the Big East’s top defensive teams, they’re a dark horse pick to win the league.
13. Michigan John Beilein is on the verge of a breakthrough in Ann Arbor — that is, if point guard Darius Morris returns for his junior season. Tim Hardaway Jr. was perhaps the nation’s most underrated freshman in ’10-11, and the Wolverines showed flashes of their potential by nearly knocking off Duke in the “third” round. They could make an outside run at the Big Ten title.
14. Arizona: The Wildcats were, at times, the Derrick Williams show in ’10-11, but one gets the sense that Sean Miller is building a Pac-10 power that won’t fade after Williams leaves. Everyone other than he and Jamelle Horne is back, and they beef up their backcourt with the top-rated point guard in the Class of 2011, Josiah Turner.
15. UConn: Calhoun predicted that “in the future you’re going to see Jeremy Lamb be one of the best players in college basketball,” and we agree: The kid is going to be a star as early as next season. Freshman Shabazz Napier, who’ll take over as the starting point guard, was playing with the confidence of an upperclassman in March, and is ready to lead the Huskies to the upper portion of the Big East standings.
17. Vanderbilt
18. Wichita State
19. Marquette
20. UCLA
21. Memphis
22. Temple
23. Florida State
24. Texas
25. Purdue
26. Missouri
27. Gonzaga
28. George Mason
29. Texas A&M
30. Xavier
31. Alabama
32. West Virginia
Ohio State Memorbillia Ends Up On History Channel's "Pawn Stars"
Now this is getting ridiculous. The Ohio State players who are suspended for five games for selling or exchanging memorabilia for tattoos have now shown up on the HIstory Channel's popular show, "Pawn Stars."
A man comes in and wants to sell a pair of gold pants with the initials D.W. that apparently belong to Donald Washington or Doug Worthington and then another pair supposedly belong to LeAndre Boone.
Worington says he has all of his gold pants and gave them to family members, but he says that he can not believe his family members would sell them. Washington said he has all of his gold pants in his possession.
This story just keeps growing and growing and now with the items being on television just makes this story even more intersting.
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