Urban Meyer's Suspension of Carlos Hyde Shows New Standard Against Rule Breakers

Urban Meyer has been criticized in the past for taking a lenient stand when his players found themselves in legal trouble.

UPDATE: Monday, July 22, 3:55 p.m. EDT

According to a release by Ohio State spokesperson Jerry Emig, Urban Meyer has suspended Carlos Hyde indefinitely from all football team activities after being named as a person of interest in a Columbus police report. A female victim cited in the report alleges that Carlos Hyde assaulted her at a bar in Columbus early Saturday morning.

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Carlos Hyde suspended from all football team activities pending outcome of student code of conduct & criminal investigations.

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) July 22, 2013"

The release also noted that Meyer punished three other members of the football team.

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Meyer also took disciplinary action Monday against two freshmen who were involved in legal issues in the past week: tight end Marcus Baugh, from Riverside, Calif., and defensive lineman Tim Gardner, from Indianapolis. He also announced that senior cornerback Bradley Roby, from Suwanee, Ga., will not attend Big Ten media days this week. Roby was involved in a legal issue this weekend in Bloomington, Ind., and, as more information becomes available, could face additional discipline.

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Meyer was quoted in the release, saying, "I have a clear set of core values in place that members of this football program are constantly reminded of and are expected to honor." 

Those core values were violated by the players listed, prompting Meyer's immediate disciplinary action.

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His quick decision to suspend Carlos Hyde, though, shows that he isn't so lenient these days.

Hyde, who was expected to be the team's starting running back, has not been arrested, but has been named as a person of interest in a Columbus police report, according to Eleven Warriors.

The report details an incident that took place around 2 a.m. at Sugar Bar 2 on Front Street. The alleged victim reports that she was assaulted by Hyde accordingly:

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Victim stated on listed date and time at the listed location she was assaulted by the described suspect. Victim stated she does not know the suspect but stated she could identify him.

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Regardless of his stance at previous coaching stints, Meyer has drawn a clear line at Ohio State. Following an incident last summer, when Jack Mewhort and Jake Stoneburner were arrested for urinating in public and running from police, Meyer indicated that his players made a "stupid" mistake, according to CBS Sports:

“So are they less stupid now? I don't know. Right now we're going to do the best we can to help them be less stupid," Meyer said. "If there was a bad guy situation, they wouldn't be playing.”

Hyde's alleged actions push him into the "bad guy" category, and his immediate suspension proves that Meyer meant what he said.

Ohio State has clear expectations on how its players are to treat women. This graphic, in fact, is plastered on a wall in the team's workout facilities:

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Here is Ohio State's "be the best man" doctrine.. #OhioState #CompleteMan pic.twitter.com/XJUXICTYef

— George Whitfield Jr. (@georgewhitfield) June 17, 2013"

Of course, Meyer faced a similar situation last year when linebacker Storm Klein was arrested for domestic violence. Klein was immediately dismissed from the team.

After the charges were later reduced to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, Meyer reinstated Klein, but suspended the linebacker for two games.

Regardless of whether it was right to allow Klein back on the team, it's irrelevant to the Hyde situation. Meyer suspended his No. 1 running back from a team that is expected to contend for a national title, all before official charges were even filed.

Some are already doubting Meyer's ability to justly punish rule breakers. Frankly, though, it's hard to imagine a coach taking a tougher stand than Meyer already has.

David Regimbal is the lead Ohio State football writer for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.