Ray Small, former Ohio State Buckeye receiver from 2006-2010, conveys to tOSU's student newspaper The Lantern in a revealing interview that selling his awarded memorabilia helped finance typical college student expenses.
"I had sold my things but it was just for the money," Small said. "At that time in college, you're kind of struggling."
"We had four Big Ten rings," he said. "There was enough to go around."
This revelation may tie with the unknown player listed in the NCAA NOA report, and as speculated in the Sports by Brooks post previously referenced in my earlier commentary, even though Small claims not to have known much about Fine Line Ink's Tattoo parlor, and federally indicted, Edward Rife. If he didn't know Rife, then who purchased his memorabilia and offered discounts on his tats?
Update: Ray Small clarified his comments on a local Columbus television station interview claiming he was mis-quoted. The Lantern disagreed and posted the audio of his comments. Tough to refute the original quotes reported by The Lantern after listening to the actual taped interview.
Small reveals in the article, "They (NCAA) have a lot (of dirt) on everybody, 'cause everybody was doing it."
The Lantern also reports that Small was arrested in the middle of the night while driving on a suspended license in September of 2007. The car he was driving was an '07 Chrysler 300 which had, you guessed it, Jack Maxton Chevrolet dealer plates. The car was on loan from the dealer while the paperwork was being finalized, according to Aaron Kniffin, the top car salesman to tOSU athletes and their families.
Police then received a call from Aaron Kniffin later that morning, wanting to know why the car had been impounded. Kniffin, a salesman at Jack Maxton Chevrolet, told the officer the dealership "gives a lot of coaches and faculty cars and that Mr. Small's family is purchasing the car," according to the report. Kniffin told the officer that paperwork for the car had not yet been worked out.
This on the heels of the Columbus Dispatch reporting that tOSU has suspended its investigation into athlete automobile purchases, deferring until "the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles concludes its independent examination of the dealer's roles in the vehicle sales."
The calendar is closing quickly for tOSU as they have until July 5 to submit answers to the questions asked in the NCAA Notice of Allegations in advance of the August 12 hearing.