College Football

Ohio State tailback Robert Smith, the Buckeyes’ freshman rushing record-holder, said that he has quit the team, citing what he called a lack of respect by the coaching staff.

“The players have lost a little bit of respect because they are not being treated with dignity,” Smith said. “They bring me here as a model student-athlete and won’t allow me to do my work.”

Smith said the coaching staff’s bed check and curfew policy sometimes interfered with his homework.

He told WBNS he would stay in school and probably run for the track team in the spring.

Smith gained 1,126 yards in 177 carries last season for a 6.4-yard average, breaking the Ohio State freshman record of 867 yards set in 1972 by two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. He also caught 10 passes for 112 yards.