Adam Rittenberg, ESPN senior writer
If Ohio lawmakers have their way, teams will try to plant flags in the middle of Ohio State stadiums Ohio State University The game won’t just deal with pepper spray.
Ohio Rep. Josh Williams introduced a bill Tuesday that would make it a felony to plant a flag during Buckeyes football games at Ohio State Stadium.
Ohio sportsmanship bill authored by Williams is right michiganAfter a win over Ohio State on Nov. 30, the team attempted to plant its own flag, which sparked a brawl between the two teams. Police had to use pepper spray to separate players from other team personnel. Ohio State University Police are investigating the incident, which involved multiple law enforcement agencies and left an officer injured.
According to Williams’ bill, “No person shall place a flagpole with a flag attached in the center of the football field at Ohio State University’s Ohio Stadium on the day of a college football game, whether before, during, or after the game. Any violation of this section A fifth-degree felony per person.”
A fifth-degree felony is the least serious felony in Ohio and is punishable by six to 12 months in prison, a fine of up to $2,500 and probation of up to five years.
Williams, a Republican, represents Ohio’s 41st District, which is near Toledo and the Ohio-Michigan border where many Buckeyes and Wolverines fans gather. He told ESPN that the Ohio Stadium incident, along with several other college football scuffles surrounding flag planting during weekend games, caught his attention.
“After this happened in five different games during rivalry week, and seeing no immediate changes, I felt it was necessary to send a signal to our higher education institutions that they need to have policies in place to prevent this from happening in the future. situation so it doesn’t cause harm to our law enforcement officers, our student-athletes or our fans,” Williams told ESPN. “[Ohio State-Michigan] is the number one rivalry in all sports, not just college sports, and to see it go all the way down to this level is disrespectful not only to the institution, but to the college program itself. What’s more, it poses real security risks. “
Ohio’s two-year General Assembly concludes next week, so the Ohio Sportsmanship Act may need to be reintroduced next cycle. If he doesn’t see the Big Ten, the NCAA or individual schools taking further steps to curb flag planting, Williams plans to do so, describing the bill as “an arrow to our institutions to put our institutions on notice.” “.
top ten fined $100,000 Ohio State and Michigan State were both punished following the incident, but no other individual discipline was specified. “It was just pennies, nothing,” Williams said of the fine.
Michigan State coach Sherron Moore also mimicked a flag on the video board of the school’s home men’s basketball game against Iowa State on Saturday, and the crowd cheered.
“This shows that the institution is not taking this incident seriously,” Williams said. “We are blowing this and it will continue in the future, which will result in increased risk, safety costs to college football. Increased potential for violence.”
He said criminal penalties are needed because those who cross state lines and violate university policies may avoid any significant consequences.
Williams, who described himself as a youth sports coach for 15 years and a strong advocate of sportsmanship, noted that the bill would apply to Ohio State players planting flags after home games.
Williams earned his law degree from the University of Toledo. He described himself as a “buckeye through and through,” while adding that he has Ohio State and Michigan fans in his family.
“We have a great rivalry. I love competing, win, lose or draw,” Williams said. “That was a tight game. It wasn’t a blowout win. You know, Michigan deserves the win and we’ll take the loss in stride and try to fight another day and focus on next week and next year, but in the next one We have to have that conversation during recruiting.”
