Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith thanked a local Columbus-based tattoo artist for his latest ink with a signed football jersey. The gesture reflects a colossal amount of change within college football and collegiate athletics as a whole over the last 13 years.
It is truly wild how life can come full-circle in such a short amount of time.
Smith, a five-star prospect, committed to play for the Buckeyes in the college football recruiting Class of 2024. He got to campus in January as an early enrollee and immediately made a splash during the spring practice period. His presence in Chip Kelly’s offense plays a big role in the national championship hopes for Ryan Day’s program this fall.
Now that Smith is settled in Columbus, he is using the offseason to get a new tattoo! T King, the owner of Tattoo Kings & Cuts, is the artist. They are working together on a half sleeve on his right arm.
To thank T King for his services, Smith gifted him with a signed football jersey.
Whether the jersey is in lieu of payment or an additional gesture of gratitude is unclear. Doesn’t matter.
It is a wild full-circle moment for Ohio State!
Quarterback Terrell Pryor and a group of his teammates were infamously punished by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits in 2011. Part of that scandal related directly to tattoos. Devier Posey, Mike Adams, Solomon Thomas, Boom Herron and Pryor traded autographs and memorabilia for ink.
That was explicitly illegal per NCAA bylaws at the time. They were suspended five games.
Head coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign. The Buckeyes were forced to vacated all of their wins from 2010 and received a postseason ban for 2012.
Now 13 years later, a five-star freshman pass-catcher is gifting a signed jersey to a tattoo artist. It is completely legal for Jeremiah Smith to do so. Name, Image and Likeness changed the entire landscape of collegiate athletics in 2021. It essentially dissolved any rules that made it illegal for players to get paid and gave them the rights to what they own.
‘Tattoogate’ brought Ohio State football to its knees in 2011. Those exact same behaviors are permissible in 2024. As they should be!