Ohio State senior linebacker K’Vaughan Pope has been dismissed from the team following a highly publicized incident on Saturday in which he was escorted off the field during the Buckeyes’ win against Akron, according to a statement from coach Ryan Day on Sunday.
“K’Vaughan will continue to have the use of programs that benefit our student-athletes, such as our Student-Athlete Support Services Office, and we will support him with his progress toward graduation,” Day stated in the news release. “He will remain on scholarship through the duration of this semester.”
According to Lettermen Row, Pope tried to enter the game in the second quarter but was waved off by linebacker Teradja Mitchell. Pope walked toward the locker room, but an Ohio State staffer brought him back to the sideline.
According to the report, Pope then threw his gloves into the stands and attempted to take off his jersey on the sideline. A few Ohio State coaches had conversations with him before he was escorted by a staffer into the locker room.
In a since-deleted tweet, Pope wrote “f— Ohio State” while the game was still happening. He also tweeted “good lucc to my teammates” and left that tweet on his feed.
On Sunday, Pope tweeted an apology.
“Last night I let my emotions get the best of me. For that I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Buckeye Nation,” he wrote. “I made a mistake and know that I need to be better and do better. I’m going to take this time to reflect and work on my mental well-being.”
Pope has played in 33 career games and has three tackles this season. He is the second linebacker to leave the program in the past week. Dallas Gant entered the transfer portal Wednesday after seeing a minimal amount of playing time this season.