Ohio State Drops All-American Wide Receiver Carter

Cris Carter, the all-time leading receiver at Ohio State, was declared permanently ineligible Wednesday for accepting money and signing a contract with an agent.

Rick Bay, Ohio State athletic director, speaking at a news conference, said Carter admitted that on May 1, 1986, he had signed a representation agreement and a $5,000 promissory note with Lloyd Bloom and Norby Walters, agents of World Entertainment and Sports, Inc.

In addition, Carter, who had one season of eligibility remaining, received $150 a month for almost a year after signing the contract, which was postdated to Jan. 2, 1988. Bay said Carter looked upon the payments as a loan against future earnings, but that it was still an infraction of National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules, which carries a penalty of immediate ineligibility.

It is against NCAA rules for a college athlete to enter into an agreement with an agent before the end of his eligibility.

“Coach (Earle) Bruce and I felt, and (Ohio State) President Edward Jennings concurred, that the actions were so blatant and over such a long period of time,” Bay said, that the university had no choice but to declare Carter ineligible and would not appeal any penalties levied against him by the NCAA.

Carter, a 6-foot 3-inch, 194-pound two-time All-American, caught a school-record 69 passes last season for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns, all Ohio State records. He also holds the career marks with 168 receptions and 27 touchdowns.

In a statement, Carter said, “I regret the actions I took that make it necessary for Ohio State to declare me ineligible. I did not realize at the time the consequences that would result or the pain I would cause my mother, Ohio State University, my teammates or Coach Bruce. What I did was wrong and I apologize.”

Carter’s name had come to light in published reports of signings by agents early this year. According to the NCAA, two football players at Pittsburgh, Teryl Austin and Charles Gladman, and Alabama basketball player Derrick McKey have been declared ineligible at their schools for dealings with Walters and Bloom.