Former Ohio State WR Ray Small sentenced to 4 years in prison

Former Buckeye wideout Ray Small was sentenced to four years in prison for drug trafficking, per the Columbus Dispatch.

Small had previously been sentenced to three years in prison for an unrelated drug charge in Meigs County. The two sentences will run concurrently. Per the Dispatch:

Officers investigating reports of drug trafficking at the apartment found 407 oxycodone pills, 403 alprazolam pills (trade name Xanax) and more than 20 grams of heroin, Assistant County Prosecutor Joseph Gibson said at the time. 

Small acknowledged to officers that he intended to sell the drugs, Gibson said. 

Investigators also found an unloaded handgun in Small's waistband and an unloaded military-style rifle in the apartment. Firearms specifications were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Small, who played for Ohio State from 2006-2009, and caught 78 passes for 790 yards over this career. It's fair to say that Small had a bit of a checkered experience with Buckeye fans during his tenure, but his life had sadly taken a much darker turn after he left the program.

Per Cleveland.com, Small has the chance to get out prison early if he's able to keep out of trouble.

He also will be eligible for judicial release, meaning that if he behaves in prison and takes part in programs aimed at rehabilitation, Small could apply for early release. His lawyer, Eric Brehm, told cleveland.com that Small would likely have to spend at least a year in prison before that could be considered. And he would have to be granted the early release by both the judge in Franklin County and Meigs County. But Judge Sheeran seemed open to the possibility.

Here is hoping that Small is able to turn his life around after prison, like another recent Buckeye, and rehabilitate in the future.