If Ohio State football fans were waiting for former linebacker K’Vaughan Pope to chime in after Marcus Williamson’s long, unflattering look at the Buckeye football program, they got their wish on Monday.
Pope, who quit the 2021 team mid-game against Akron in September, tweeted a list of grievances about the current state of the Buckeye program. Some fell along the same lines as Williamson’s, who criticized coaches and levied racism claims against former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer as the Buckeyes beat Utah 48-45 in the Rose Bowl.
Pope told potential recruits in a Monday tweet that if you go to Ohio State, be prepared to be viewed “as a hoodlum (because your vocal).”
He said coaches were disrespectful and unfair and thaopinions were ignored.
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During a 59-7 win over Akron, Pope had a sideline altercation and was escorted to the locker room where he sent several tweets, used a variation of an expletive and wished his team good luck.
He later deleted the tweet, was removed from the program and entered the transfer portal.
What former Ohio State linebacker K’Vaughan Pope tweeted Monday:
You only go to OSU if you want to be:
– highly disrespected by the coaching staff (head coach here & there)
– treated unfairly (young guys playing before seniors)
– looked at as a hoodlum (because your vocal)
– treated as if you are not a high caliber player (because i am)— K’Vaughan Pope (@VonP04) January 4, 2022
K’Vaughan Pope then tweeted
– coaches first program guy (they are not a players first program)
– treated as if players opinions have no say so (because your body & mental doesn’t matter)
– players point of view can’t be seen (because coaches claim it has happened to them)— K’Vaughan Pope (@VonP04) January 4, 2022
Marcus Williamson Twitter fallout
Williamson graduated in 2020 and was a graduate player this season. He is a former All-Big Ten scholar athlete. He tweeted he “retired” before the Rose Bowl and aired his grievances about the OSU program on Saturday.
His tweets during the Rose Bowl prompted several former Buckeyes to give their opinions on Meyer and the Buckeye program.
However, Williamson tweeted Monday that several unnamed current and former players had reached out to him in support of his opinions:
S/O to all the current & former players/staff in my inbox sharing your stories and putting your support behind this. Truth always comes to light
— Marcus Williamson (@WW_Marcus) January 3, 2022
Current Ohio State offensive lineman Dawand Jones, a junior reportedly considering his NFL options, quoted Williamson’s tweet from Sunday that criticized people trying to discredit him.
Cardale Jones, the 2014 National Championship hero said a “large number” of former Buckeyes would disagree with Williamson
Man, where do I start about Williamson comments about the OSU football program. Trying to paint the program & it’s leaders out to be racist is mind blowing! I can’t speak on his experience but I’m sure a LARGE number of players who played at OSU would disagree with his comments.
— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) January 2, 2022
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football coaches skewered by K’Vaughan Pope