The Ohio State University has a major Les Wexner problem on its hands. More specifically, they have it on their buildings around campus, which all bear the name of a man/alleged reptilian being in a skin suit who was connected to one of, if not the most vile human being to ever live, Jeffrey Epstein.
Ohio State Buckeyes On SI's Steve Kubitza relayed that OSU head coach Ryan Day is "likely" being briefed on how to handle the situation. Front Office Sports' Amanda Christovich blew the lid open on Wexner's Epstein ties, and the funding from that operation potentially being present in the facilities at the Ohio State University on Friday.
"For now, this should have no real impact on the team other than questions being asked by the media. But that should not affect players, who likely have no clue who Wexner is in the first place. This is more of a question for school administrators. Ryan Day is likely being briefed on how to respond as well," Kubitza wrote.
"College sports are seeing massive influxes of money due to new NIL rules. Wexner has been a major OSU donor for years, not just in sports, but he is not the only prominent graduate from the school. Thus, the university and its teams should be just fine in terms of money and remaining elite."
"The focus now turns to whether the university will indeed remove Wexner's name from campus facilities. Again, this will not affect the teams on the field. However, the focus on Wexner could end up being a distraction and a talking point if nothing is done by kickoff in the fall."
Ohio State not alone in dragging their feet removing Jeffrey Epstein ties
Three other schools are dealing with the same issue: Tufts, with New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, Stony Brook University, with Dubin & Co. LP Principal Glenn Dubin, and UCLA, with Casey Wasserman. As Christovich uncovered, none of those schools is exactly moving with any urgency on removing any of these men's names or refunding anything their funding paid for.
OSU's evaluation dropped by $700 million in 2025, but this isn't a school that would fold tomorrow if it stopped using any Wexner-related finances. There's a morality question at play here that requires the school to do the right thing, if anyone in administration cares about karma or the afterlife.
The school can teach all its figureheads to bury their heads in sand, but let's hope courageous whistleblowers come forward and shed light on what role Wexner has had in Columbus over the past several decades.