The bombshell dropped Thursday morning, just days before “The Game” that could clinch a CFP bye, with sources confirming Day’s swift hammer fell after reviewing grainy security footage and eyewitness tips tying the trio to an all-night rager at the now-infamous Kaze Lounge—hours after they ghosted practice citing “health reasons”
Day, 46 and under the microscope with a 1-4 skid vs. the Wolverines, didn’t flinch in his pre-Thanksgiving presser, channeling ice-cold fury: “If you think skipping practice and lying about it makes you a Buckeye, think again—not on my field, not under my watch.” The quote, delivered with the steely glare of a man who’s lost too many Novembers to maize and blue, ricocheted across ESPN and X like a trick play gone viral. No names released officially (team policy), but insiders peg Egbuka (team captain, 1,200+ yards this season), Tate (the speedy slot burner nursing a minor tweak), and Smith (the 6’3” freshman with 15 TDs already) as the culprits. Their absence? A potential 40-point-per-game crater in an offense already humming at 48.2 PPG.
The timing? Nuclear. Ohio State (10-0, No. 2 CFP) was flying high post-Rutgers rout (42-9 last Saturday), with Day touting “everybody out there” at Wednesday’s pads-optional session—only for the other shoe to drop. Sources say Day got the footage late Monday: The trio, masks optional in the post-COVID haze, spotted slamming shots and dancing till 4 a.m. at Kaze, the after-hours den just shuttered by Franklin County sheriffs for 45+ police calls (fights, shots fired, the works) over five months. “Health reasons” for skipping? A flimsy cover blown by a bartender’s IG story and a walk-on’s tip-off. Day reviewed it all by dawn Tuesday, suspending them on the spot—no appeal, no second chances. “Accountability isn’t optional,” he added. “We’re chasing history, not headlines.”
THE DOWN-LOW: FROM MONDAY MISCHIEF TO THURSDAY MASSACRE
It started innocently enough—or so the spin goes. Post-Rutgers glow, the young guns (Egbuka 22, Tate 20, Smith 18) hit Short North for “decompression,” per one teammate’s anonymous leak. But Kaze? Bad call. The lounge, raided Nov. 24 for illegal ops and a linked hit-and-run death, drew cops like flies—45 runs since June, including assaults and overdoses. Video shows the players in VIP, toasting “O-H!” amid pulsing EDM, oblivious to the chaos. By 2 a.m., they’re MIA from a mandatory film room; by sunrise, “flu-like symptoms” excuses land via group chat. Teammates smelled BS—Lorenz Styles Jr. (another WR nursing a ding) was “monitored” per Day’s Wednesday update, but these three? Busted.
Day’s response was vintage disciplinarian: Immediate benching, team meeting tongue-lashing, and a ripple effect. QB Will Howard? “Devastated but locked in.” DC Matt Patricia? “Depth chart’s ready—next man up.” But the boosters? Fuming. Ohio State’s $1B+ NIL machine (top-3 class locked) doesn’t tolerate torpedoes this close to glory—especially with Michigan (9-2, No. 5) salivating for payback after last year’s 10-0 upset. A loss without the big three? CFP seed drops to 4-6, bye bye first-round home game. Win? Heroic lore, but at what cost to team chemistry?
This echoes Day’s zero-tolerance vibe—remember the 2023 gambling probe that sidelined five? Or the ‘22 bar fight that axed a backup? But stars like these? Rare air. Egbuka, the vet leader; Tate, the gadget king; Smith, the Heisman whisperer. Their suspensions (indefinite, but “at least through Michigan”) could drag into the Big Ten title tilt Dec. 7 vs. Oregon. “It’s tough love,” Day said, voice cracking just once. “Buckeyes grind. They don’t hide.”
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