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Why is this news?: Cardale Jones announces he will return to Ohio State

All the big Ohio State news in one place.

By Brett Ludwiczak
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

"The NFL has always been my goal and dream. It's literally right there in front of me, but I also have a goal to graduate. I dedicated to myself and teammates and coaching staff to be the best student-athlete I can be and to graduate. I want to make sure I meet all my goals.

- Cardale Jones

In case you have been living under a rock and hadn't already heard, redshirt sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones is passing up the chance to declare himself eligible for the NFL Draft and returning to Ohio State for his sophomore season. The return of Jones only adds to the questions Ohio State has to answer in terms of who might start for the Buckeyes at quarterback against Virginia Tech in the season opener, but the announcement of his return certainly made his teammates happy.

"I will tell you one thing: After taking this one under the belt, we will definitely be doing things differently (the next time there's a large celebration on campus)."

- Columbus Police Cmdr. Chris Bowling

After Monday night's celebration on campus after Ohio State's win over Oregon, the Columbus police are expanding an investigation into the use of pepper spray on Ohio State students and fans. After a video showed police deploying pepper spray and then ordering people to disperse, some are wondering if police gave warning to the crowd before using the pepper spray. Police contend that trash and other objects were being thrown at them, while students stated the celebrations were mostly peaceful and they were not warned before the pepper spray was used.

Columbus SWAT is required to log when they issue warnings, how many times they issue warnings, and how long they use the gas. With the amount of people on campus to celebrate after the win, the warnings might not have been able to be heard because of the amount of noise there was. This forced the "BearCat" military-style vehicle to be brought in because it had the loudest speaker of any of the SWAT vehicles. More pepper spray had to be brought in while trying to control the crowds since they used so much of it. Along with this investigation, several separate investigations have been launched because of citizen complaints.

"Not right now. Not right now. I've got a commitment to Ohio State and these players. I love what I'm doing. Not right now."

- Urban Meyer

Earlier this week after claiming his third national championship as a head coach, Urban Meyer was asked if a possible head coaching job might be in his future. While Meyer stated he has a commitment to Ohio State and the players, there is another commitment he has made that will keep him in Columbus for at least three more years. Urban and Shelley Meyer made a promise to their kids that they wouldn't move them during high school. Their son Nate started his freshman year of high school in the fall, which means Meyer will be coaching the Buckeyes at least through the 2017 season.

Some think Meyer's coaching style is best suited for the college game, but that hasn't stopped other coaches from leaving the college ranks to try their hand in the NFL before. The NFL could be tempting for Meyer, as earlier in his career he said he almost took a job as an assistant coach in the pros before he was vetoed by Shelley. In three years Meyer will be 53 years old, and if he is able to add another championship or two to his accolades while at Ohio State, the lure of the NFL might be too much to pass up. For now Buckeye fans should be relieved they have Meyer heading their program and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

"Say I'd never played in the season, and it was Cardale all the way, I would have been OK, because it's about winning. And I'd just look at myself and say 'Why wasn't I good enough to play?' But it's all about winning games and national championships. That's why I came to Ohio State."

- J.T. Barrett

After being named one of the finalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award giving to the outstanding offensive player in the country with ties to Texas, and losing out to TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, J.T. Barrett was asked about how he would've felt if the roles were reversed and Cardale Jones was named the starting quarterback before the season. Barrett responded with the most imporant thing no matter who was the quarterback is winning. The truth is Ohio State wouldn't probably wouldn't have been in the College Football Playoff if not for the heroics of Barrett before he suffered a season-ending injury against Michigan.

While Barrett didn't win Wednesday night's award, he already has a national championship to his credit in his short time in Columbus, and it looks like even more accolades are on the way in the future. Barrett sets school records in total offense, touchdowns, and finished fifth in the Heisman voting all while only being a redshirt freshman, and not knowing he was going to lead the Buckeyes until just a few weeks before the season. Even with the quarterback picture still cloudy in terms of who will start in the fall for the Buckeyes, with Barrett at 100% after recovering from the injury he suffered against Michigan, more winning and championships could be on the horizon for Ohio State.

"Given that testing over nearly 30 years hasn't served as an adequate deterrent - plus the fact that student athletes who are penalized for recreational drug use by losing eligibility are more likely to drop out of school - the committee suggested the NCAA explore whether a different approach for recreational drugs is warranted."

- Brian Burnsed, NCAA.org

In mid-December when the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports met in Indianapolis, extensive changes were recommended to the NCAA's drug-testing policies. While a formal legislative proposal is still yet to be drafted, the recommendations of the committee were two-fold. First to strength the NCAA drug-testing program for performance-enhancing substances, and second to develop a shared model of deterrence for recreational drug use. While the NCAA still wants to discourage the use of recreational drugs, because they provide no competitive advantage, other alternative approaches to testing should be explored.

The NCAA has tested student-athletes for recreational drugs and banned substances at championship events since 1986, they haven't seen a drop in the use of marijuana. Only recently has the NCAA seen a little bit of a dip in alcohol use among student-athletes. Some options for possible deterrence of drug use among student-athletes that have been mentioned include: education, intervention, and behavioral management programs. In terms of performance-enhancing drugs, studies have shown student-athletes are less likely to use PEDs when they have at least a 30-percent chance of getting caught. While the NCAA has increased testing, still not every student-athlete can be tested. The NCAA is hoping that more education can be given to student-athletes on the possibility of being tested, and hopefully decreasing the use of PEDs.

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