The Ohio State football program recruits the best receivers in the country. One of the receivers who was expected to have a big career for the Ohio State Buckeyes was Julian Fleming. Fleming was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. He was supposed to be the next great Ohio State receiver. Unfortunately, things did not happen that way.
Fleming was injured for most of the four seasons he spent with the Buckeyes. He transferred to Penn State for the final year of his career, and he was even less of a factor. Fleming recently had some legal issues, and now he has learned his fate in terms of the sentence he must serve.
Ohio State receiver Julian Fleming sentenced to 9-23 months for deadly crash
Fleming has received 9-23 months with 6 months probation when he is released for his role in an ATV crash that killed his girlfriend. This was part of an agreement in which Fleming pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter. The crash killed a 23-year-old Alyssa Boyd,
The crash occurred when Fleming and his girlfriend were riding an ATV when a deer jumped out in front of them. They were forced to veer out of the way. Fleming was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, while Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene.
This situation is the latest incident in an offseason that has seen several former Buckeyes have off-the-field issues. Darron Lee has the most alarming allegations of wrongdoing. Lee has not started his trial yet, and he, like everyone in the justice system, is innocent until proven guilty.
Julian Fleming still has a chance to live a proper life
Quite frankly, this is an extremely light sentence in a case in which a life was lost. The DA on the case didn't believe that they could prove serious charges beyond a reasonable doubt, so this is what the consequences are. Now, the former Buckeye still has a chance to live a good life.
Once his sentence is carried out, Fleming has a chance to do something good. He should try to do whatever he can to make up for a small part of what happened. He obviously can't make it completely right because a young woman lost her life, but he can make sure others don't make the same mistake he did.
Former Buckeyes should come together to support him once he gets out of jail, as well. 9-23 months is a wide range of sentence length, so he could be out in less than a year. Whenever he does, I hope that some of his former teammates reach out. Fleming could definitely use some support after the most difficult time in his life, and the life of someone he loves.
Former Buckeyes who have legal troubles have a precedent to look to when it comes to turning their lives around. Maurice Clarett has shared his story after his legal troubles and is now seen as an inspiration for how to turn your life around at your lowest point.
