Ohio State Won’t Ask to Reinstate Carter; Next Move Is NFL’s

Ohio State passed the political football back to the National Football League Friday, choosing not to ask the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. to reinstate Cris Carter.

Carter, a Buckeye wide receiver, lost his college eligibility for taking money from agents, then threatened to sue the NFL if it did not hold a supplemental draft for him.

That draft had been scheduled for Friday, to include Carter and Charles Gladman of Pittsburgh, who had lost his eligibility for failing to cooperate in an investigation into agents, and four other college players whose situations were different.

The idea of such a draft was not popular with either NFL teams or the NCAA, on the grounds that players were being rewarded for violating college rules, and NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle postponed it for a week, hoping that the schools and the NCAA would take Carter and Gladman back.

Buckeye Coach Earle Bruce agreed to let Carter rejoin the team, but Athletic Director Rick Bay decided not to appeal.

“We chose not to appeal, not because we couldn’t win but because we just didn’t feel good about it,” Bay said. “I’m not heartless. If there was some way to logically justify (an appeal), I would. But I couldn’t see clear to do it.

“If we were to appeal this, I think it would pass on two messages. First, it would destroy our credibility with the people who believed us six weeks ago (at the time Carter was declared permanently ineligible). Second, this would be a message to future outstanding basketball and football players at Ohio State that they could . . . make such a mistake and still play college athletics.”

At Pitt, Athletic Director Ed Bozik said he had not heard from Gladman on whether he wanted to appeal his eligibility ruling and try to return to school.

Meanwhile, NFL teams ignored the four players left in the supplemental draft, freeing them to sign with any of the 28 teams. The four are Dan McFadden of Miami, Paul Miller of Illinois Valley, Marquis Pleasant of SMU and Chester Savoie of Nicholls State in Louisiana.