The Ohio State University has had a strange run of presidents in recent history. Gordon Gee was the president for a long time before eventually resigning over comments about other football programs scheduling the "Little Sisters of the Poor". Most recently, the Buckeyes had Kristina Johnson as president before she resigned for undisclosed reasons.
After Johnson abruptly resigned, the Ohio State Buckeyes chose Ted Carter to replace her. Carter was previously at Nebraska and was seemingly well-respected. The Ohio State football team won a national championship under his watch, and he seemed to embrace NIL.
Just over two years into his tenure, Carter is now resigning in disgrace, seemingly becoming the second straight president in a row to do so. Ohio State will now immediately begin searching for a new president as the second semester is starting to wind down.
Ohio State President Ted Carter resigns after inappropriate relationship
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Carter has decided to resign after he had an inappropriate relationship with "someone seeking public resources to support her personal business", which is why he offered his resignation to the board. The board accepted, and Carter is out.
Carter had a strange tenure. He was under fire for a multitude of decisions, including issues of free speech on campus, his response to antisemitism, and allowing a controversial speaker during a commencement in which he promoted cryptocurrency.
From an athletics standpoint, Carter seemed unwilling to push the boundaries of NIL. The Ohio State basketball program was a point of contention until recently, with Jake Diebler finally seemingly putting the Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament. The football program won a title, too.
However, Carter seemed open to cutting sports and taking away scholarships from non-revenue-generating sports. That certainly rubbed people the wrong way. Carter was never loved by the students, either. Now, he ends his short time in Columbus in disgrace.