An Ohio State Player Just Quit The Team Midgame (Photos)
An Ohio State Player Just Quit The Team Midgame (Photos)
An extremely odd incident occurred during Saturday’s game between No. 10 ranked Ohio State and Akron.
The Buckeyes obviously came into this one as a massive favorite. Although they have yet to cover in any outing thus far, they were 48.5-point favorites heading into the game.
By any objective measure, this should’ve been a forgettable ho-hum affair for all parties involved.
And yet that’s not how it ultimately went down.
In the second quarter, Austin Ward of Letterman Row reported that linebacker K’Vaughan Pope may have quit the team following a testy exchange.
“I think K’Vaughan Pope just quit the team in the middle of the game,” he wrote.
“Pope tried to run out on the field in a sub package. Teradja Mitchell waved him off, and Pope stormed down the sideline, started walking to the tunnel and then had to be coaxed back by an Ohio State staffer. He tossed his gloves into the stands and took off his jersey.”
Things didn’t stop there.
“He has now been told to leave the Ohio State sideline and C.J. Barnett is taking him to the locker room,” Ward continued. “This is absolutely wild.”
After leaving the game, Pope took to Twitter:
good lucc to my teammates 💯
— K’Vaughan Pope (@VonP04) September 26, 2021
Pope was originally viewed as a potential starter for Ohio State this year. He ended up only playing on special teams in the opener against Minnesota and then participated in just seven snaps against Oregon. Last week, versus Tulsa, he saw 24 snaps.
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 24, 2021
Over the course of his two legit games Pope has recorded three tackles and a pass breakup.
The Buckeyes currently have one loss on the year – a controversial defeat that many believe came by way of Oregon cheating. This headache is the last thing anyone needed.
How will Pope’s antics impact the team going forward? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
