COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State All-American receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is entering the NFL draft.
The Buckeyes star junior, the first in program history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, made his announcement on social media Thursday. Harrison, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., is considered the draft’s second-best prospect, according to ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
“I would like to thank God for blessing me with the abilities and great opportunity to play the game that I love at The Ohio State University,” Harrison posted.
Harrison won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best receiver. He opted out of his team’s 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl last month.
Harrison finished this season with 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns, often as the focus of the opposing defense. He had 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 TDs in 2022.
People are also reading…
“To Buckeye Nation, the love I received from you all in the Shoe and on the road will be moments I cherish forever, and I hope I left lasting memories for you on the field,” Harrison wrote.
Tucker appeal denied
EAST LANSING, Mich. — An appeal by former Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker of findings in a sexual harassment case that led to his firing has been denied.
An attorney hired by the East Lansing school as an equity review officer said in a decision dated Wednesday that Tucker failed to provide information that proved error or bias.
Tucker told investigators that he had consensual phone sex with activist and rape survivor Brenda Tracy. Tracy is known for her work with college teams educating athletes about sexual violence and Michigan State had paid her $10,000 to share her story with the football team.
She filed a complaint with the school in 2022, saying Tucker sexually harassed her during a phone call that April. Several months later, she filed a complaint with the school’s Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education.
Tracy’s allegations were made public by USA Today on Sept. 10, 2023.
Tucker was suspended in September and Michigan State fired him later that month. The school said it terminated Tucker after he subjected the institution to ridicule, breaching his contract and moral turpitude.
A resolution officer concluded in October that Tucker engaged in behavior that violated the school’s Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct and Title IX Policy by sexually harassing and sexually exploiting Tracy.
ESPN apologizes over fake name award scam
BRISTOL, Conn. — ESPN has apologized to the organization that administers the Sports Emmy Awards for submitting fake names in categories where they were not eligible to win.
“Some members of our team were clearly wrong in submitting certain names that may go back to 1997 in Emmy categories where they were not eligible for recognition or statuettes,” the network said in a statement Thursday.
The Emmy scam was first revealed by The Athletic, which reported that ESPN personalities like Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard on “College GameDay” were given awards they were not entitled to. There was no evidence, the report said, that any on-air winners knew what happened.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which administers the Sports Emmy Awards, discovered the fraud through an investigation, which led to ESPN doing its own probe.
“This was a misguided attempt to recognize on-air individuals who were important members of our production team,” ESPN said in its statement.
BRIEFLY
FLORIDA STATE: The NCAA said a Florida State assistant football coach has been suspended for the first three games of the 2024 season for violating recruiting rules by connecting a potential transfer with a representative from an NIL collective during an official visit. The NCAA did not name the coach in its release, but a person with direct knowledge of the case confirmed to The Associated Press that it was offensive coordinator Alex Atkins.
