The case of Chase Young is one Heisman voters must’ve struggled with the past month. When you search the Heisman Trophy on Wikipedia, which has never been inaccurate to my knowledge, it reads the Heisman is given to the person who meets this criteria:
“Outstanding performance which best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”
Given that explanation, Chase Young is NOT MY Heisman.
It’s that “integrity” part of the Heisman criteria that I’m just struggling with the most as I decide what to do with my Heisman vote (NOTE: I do not have a Heisman vote).
The fact is Young was suspended from competition this season for the disgusting act of taking a loan so his girlfriend could go see him play at the Rose Bowl and has since paid the person back. That is not Heisman winner material.
I’m glad the NCAA took a hard stance on this because you just never know what this could lead to, not only in athletics but in the classrooms as well.
Imagine if a student at Ohio State was competing in the national chemistry competition and that person wanted a loved one to support them. I almost threw up just thinking about that. It would kill the pageantry that is amateur chemistry.
Young was suspended for games against Rutgers and Maryland, and Ohio State went 2-0 without him, winning by a combined margin of nearly 100 points. Thankfully the NCAA found out about this the week after the Buckeyes played Wisconsin and before games against Penn State and Michigan. Incredible.
The two biggest blowout wins in Ohio State’s last five games came when Young was out, forcing me to ask a very difficult question.
Are the Buckeyes better without Chase Young?
Since he came back, Ohio State beat Penn State by its smallest margin of victory this season, snuck past Michigan by 29 points and trailed Wisconsin by 14 at halftime last week.
So because of his issues on and off the field…
Chase Young is NOT MY Heisman.
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