Former Ohio State running back Bri’onte Dunn hit his girlfriend in the face and choked her, the unidentified woman informed the dispatcher on the other end of a 911 call. On Monday, the woman filed for a civil protection order from Dunn, and he was swiftly removed from the Ohio State football roster by head coach Urban Meyer, thus throwing away his final year of eligibility with the Buckeyes.
“My boyfriend hit me really hard,” the woman said on a 911 recording, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch. “My lip is bleeding and I have a black eye,” she later claimed. As the woman claims, Dunn hit her in the mouth during an altercation inside an apartment before he left the scene. He returned later and allegedly did not respond well to seeing the woman with her hand on a phone. It is at this point the woman claims Dunn choked her before leaving once again, this time for good.
Dunn has already graduated from Ohio State, earning a degree in sport industry last spring. He was to use his final year of eligibility this season and hope to compete for playing time in Ohio State’s backfield following the departure of Ezekiel Elliott to the NFL. However, amid this ugly news, that will no longer be the case for Dunn despite no charges having been filed at this time.
Meyer announced the dismissal and labeled it simply as a violation of team rules, which is pretty much the standard operating procedure for college football coaches any time an incident regarding some form of discipline is needed. It was not Meyer’s place to reveal the details of this incident, especially as Dunn had not been charged. However, given Meyer’s swift response, it stands to reason there is enough to make such a decision as a dismissal to hopefully send a message.
It remains to be seen where Dunn, a former four-star recruit, goes from here, if he ends up having the opportunity to go somewhere else at all.
[The Columbus Dispatch; Photo Credit: Land-Grant Holy Land]