The Ohio State University football program dismissed linebacker K'Vaughan Pope after he stormed off the field and into the locker room during the second quarter of Saturday's game against Akron.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, Pope looked to run onto the field for a defensive series only to be waved off by linebacker Teradja Mitchell. Pope then started walking to the locker room at Ohio Stadium. He was stopped by teammates after an altercation with linebackers coach Al Washington. Pope proceeded to throw his jersey and gloves into the stands before head coach Ryan Day sent him to the locker room.
The senior also posted an inflammatory tweet saying "f--- ohio state" and "good lucc to my teammates" during the game, which Ohio State would eventually win, 59-7. The tweet was later deleted.
Instead, Pope posted the following to Twitter on Sunday: "Last night I let my emotions get the best of me. For that I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Buckeye Nation. I made a mistake and know that I need to be better and do better. I’m going to take this time to reflect and work on my mental well-being."
Ohio State intends to help. "K'Vaughan will continue to have the use of programs that benefit our student-athletes, such as our Student-Athlete Support Services Office, and we will support him with his progress toward graduation," the university said in a statement. "He will remain on scholarship through the duration of this semester."
Pope has appeared in 31 games in his Buckeyes career but played sparingly this season, according to SI. His departure comes after Ohio State linebacker Dallas Gant entered the NCAA transfer portal last week.
