Ohio State DL Tracy Sprinkle pleads not guilty, dismissed from team
After being arrested for rioting, failure to disperse, possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia following a brawl Saturday morning, Ohio State defensive lineman Tracy Sprinkle pleaded not guilty to all charges Monday morning, according to Cleveland.com.
Sprinkle was allegedly part of a large fight outside the “Grown & Sexy Bar” in Lorain, Ohio that was described as “a riot” by police. Police came across a 23-year-old man who was yelling at Sprinkle as friends held Sprinkle back.
Sprinkle was instructed to leave by police, but he was arrested and placed in a patrol car after he became “engaged in another scuffle,” according to a police report. After being removed from the patrol car, police found “two small bags of white powder stuffed into the seat.” The two bags were said to contain “0.2 ounces of cocaine.”
Judge Mark Mihok granted the 19-year-old Sprinkle a $2,000 bond. A pretrial hearing has been set for July 31.
After initially being suspended from football activities, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer decided to dismiss Sprinkle from the team on Monday. An Ohio State team spokesman said that Sprinkle’s status with the team could be reexamined in the future depending upon the outcome of his legal problems.
Sprinkle, a 6-foot-3, 282-pound redshirt freshman, did not play in his first year on campus. He was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals in the 2013 class and was expected to compete for playing time in a reserve role for OSU in 2014.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
