Following a line of suspensions for flagrant personal fouls, the Big Ten conference suspended Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman for the Indiana game following a helmet-to-helmet hit on Illinois backup quarterback Eddie McGee.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and athletic director Gene Smith issued a joint statement about the suspension:
Obviously, we will abide by the one-game suspension from the Big Ten Conference, but we feel as if there was poor judgment throughout...We concur that Kurt's hit was late and a result of poor judgment; he was thus penalized and removed from the game by his coaches. We do not agree that it was 'premeditated' or that he was 'targeting a defenseless' player. The decision to suspend points to the conference office's feeling as if there was poor judgment by the game officials for their decision not to eject at the time. In our estimation, the final 'poor judgment' is in levying a one-game suspension in this particular case. We will abide by the decision, learn from it, and move forward.
Coleman was a second-team all-Big Ten selection last season and has 29 tackles, three forced fumbles and an interception this season.
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