Ohio State's Penalty For J.T. Barrett Sets A Terrible Example

— -- It's comical to see how the Ohio State is attempting to discipline J.T. Barrett -- who was arrested and cited with operating a vehicle while intoxicated Saturday -- in a way that doesn't impinge too much upon his time on the football field.

He was suspended for one game. Did that seem light? Doug Lesmerises in Cleveland puzzles over how an act like drunken driving, which kills an estimated 10,000 people a year, somehow gets a standard one-game suspension in college football, if there is any penalty at all.

Whatever you think about the fairness of one game for OVI, it's painfully awkward for the school to dole out the penalty. Of course it's in coach Urban Meyer's best interest to discipline a player in a manner that doesn't affect the football team.

But here's the kicker: OSU will be taking away some of Barrett's classroom time as an additional punishment. The quarterback will lose financial aid for the 2016 summer term. Curious ... isn't summer the only time Barrett isn't expected to show up on a football field? What a mockery of the term "student-athlete" this is. Barrett is an athlete first, no matter what label the NCAA chooses to use.

The NCAA needs to standardize such penalties. College campuses are often where young people are making decisions about alcohol independently for the first time in their lives. To have an underage drinker so visibly cited for OVI and have such a disjointed penalty sets a terrible example.

Any school that would set a stronger example puts itself at a competitive disadvantage, so this needs to happen at the conference or division level. In the meantime, we can all hope Barrett enjoys his summer vacation.

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