The Story of Chris Carter

Oh boy

Chris Carter, the massive 6’5” 350lb offensive lineman from John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, has signed his LOI and will be on the sideline for the Buckeyes this fall. Just a week ago it looked highly unlikely that Carter would be able to honor his scholarship due to his arrest. He was accused of fondling as many as eight young women under the guise of “fitting” them for ROTC uniforms. Of course, measuring a young woman for a uniform doesn't involve taking off their shirts and feeling them up as Carter would have you believe.

When one woman finally came forward to complain, police confronted Carter and he admitted using the same ruse on other girls as well. Hell, he even had a book detailing his encounters that included “measurements” and other information from his back room antics. After spending the night in jail he was released and buckeye nation expected an announcement that Carter would not be attending OSU in the fall and his scholarship had been revoked. That announcement never came.

Much to everyone’s surprise Cleveland city spokeswoman Maureen Harper said that the prosecutor’s office did not find enough evidence to press charges. She stated “There was nothing wrong with the way the case was handled or with the investigation. The challenge was matching the facts with potential violations in the Ohio revised Code which defines sexual contact and conduct.” Huh? I am not a detective/prosecutor , not even close, but how does admission of guilt along with evidence of the crime not amount to a conviction or at least a trial? Am I missing something here? This crime happened to eight young women with detailed accounts written by the accused who also admitted to police what he did and that doesn’t constitute enough evidence? I felt like my head was going to explode after reading that.

Apparently this young kid is going to get another chance and won’t suffer any repercussions from this alleged incident. His scholarship is still going to be honored and Tressel is welcoming him on to the team. I tried to tell myself that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I told myself that the offensive line was very thin and we desperately needed Carter to add that much needed depth. I did everything possible to get myself on board with this move but nothing has worked.
 The nature of the alleged crime is too disturbing for me. The fact that he admitted to these acts and is still welcome to join this recruiting class in disturbing. It’s not like he skipped out on a dinner bill or stole some clothes from a store. This was a 350lb man taking advantage of 15 and 16 year old girls in a dark room. That is a fraction away from a much more serious crime that can land you in the clink for a decade or more. The fact that this kid had a full ride to play at the OSU and couldn't leverage that into some legitimate tail is perplexing. The whole thing just doesn't sit well with me.

I hope Tressel knows what he is doing and can reform this young man into a decent member of society as well as a good football player. The team really doesn’t need this kind of attention any more. Tatgate and even Maurice Clarett are still making headlines . Ohio St. has always held itself to a higher standard than most but this move feels a little to “SEC” for my liking. The guy is a great player and a solid addition to the line. I just wonder at what moral cost did it take to get him.