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LeBron James Comments on Ohio State's Chase Young Being Suspended by NCAA
November 9, 2019
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has taken exception to reports Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Chase Young will be suspended for receiving a loan from a family friend.
On Saturday, James took to Twitter to call out the NCAA:
LeBron James @KingJamesThe fact Chase Young even had to borrow money from a family member just so his girlfriend could come see him play in one of the biggest games of his life(🌹 Bowl) should tell you all you need to know. And since y’all always wanna know more he paid it back to his family member. 🤦🏾♂️
Young was held out of Saturday's game against Maryland after news of a possible NCAA violation surfaced on Friday.
He issued a statement on the matter via social media, revealing that he had accepted a loan from someone he had known since before he arrived to Columbus:
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Friday night that Young had accepted money from a close family friend, who is not an agent or a booster, in December 2018 in order to fly his girlfriend out to Pasadena, California, for the Buckeyes' Rose Bowl game against Washington. He reportedly repaid the loan in April.
Feldman later expanded on the developing situation:
According to ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, the Buckeyes expect a four-game suspension to be handed down to the star. Herbstreit also noted that Ohio State is hopeful Young's suspension can be reduced:
The suspension comes in the midst of what has been a special season for the junior.
Young has put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation, leading the nation with 13.5 sacks in eight games. He is also tied for second with 15.5 tackles for loss.
The suspension could be a damaging blow to Young's Heisman Trophy hopes, though it will likely do very little to his NFL stock. The 20-year-old is expected to be one of the first players selected in the 2020 NFL draft, should he declare.
James—who went straight from high school to the NBA—has long been an outspoken opponent of the NCAA. In February 2018, he called the NCAA "corrupt" and said, "I don't know if there's any fixing the NCAA."