Over the last week, rumors circulated that freshman WR Duron Carter, son of former Ohio State and NFL standout Cris Carter, would be declared academically ineligible to play in the 2010 Rose Bowl against Oregon. While Ohio State did not confirm the nature of his absence, Ohio State confirmed Duron Carter will not be playing in the Rose Bowl in an official release.
Statistically, Carter had 13 receptions this season for 176 yards and 1 touchdown. Carter served as Ohio State's fourth wide receiver, behind teammates DeVier Posey, Dane Sanzenbacher, and Ray Small.
While Ohio State will not be tremendously handicapped in the Rose Bowl due to Carter's ineligibility, it is still a disappointment when any player is unable to play. The perception that Carter's ineligibility is academically related, plus the fact that Carter is arguably one of Ohio State's top freshmen players, just compounds the disappointment.
Ray Small will be concluding his often-rocky Ohio State career in the Rose Bowl. Recently, Jim Tressel praised Small's leadership contributions, as Small reportedly told his teammates, "You don't want to do some of the things I did.". Perhaps one of Ray Small's final acts as a Buckeye will be to reinforce that message to Duron Carter.
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