If Ohio State’s Noah Spence Sues the Big Ten, How Will That Impact B1G’s Image?

When news first broke of Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Noah Spence’s suspension, something just didn’t add up. Now we know why.

Noah Spence didn’t get a three-game suspension for a dietary supplement, like was first reported.

Rather, he was suspended for testing positive for “a small amount of ecstasy” in a random drug test prior to the Big Ten Championship game, according to an interview with Spence’s father by WHTM-ABC27 in Harrisburg, Pa.

That’s only half the story, though, as the report also indicates that Spence’s family is also considering suing the Big Ten over how it classifies ecstasy.

Whether or not the lawsuit happens or has a chance to work is for another time. Today, the question is: Will the Big Ten stick to its guns on how it classifies the drug going forward?

It may seem like a matter of semantics, but it is an important question because the answer may affect what seems to matter most in this day and age, its image.

See, the Big Ten classifies it as a performance-enhancing drug, while the NCAA classifies it as a street drug.

The latter carries with it a far less harsh penalty, while the violation of the Big Ten’s performance-enhancing drug policy carries an automatic one-year suspension.

Spence’s family, backed by Ohio State, already won an appeal of the original one-year suspension, according to WHTM’s report.

An apparent second appeal went nowhere fast, hence the consideration of a lawsuit to get the rest…

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