Just days after pleading guilty to driving under the influence, Ohio State swimmer Cameron Craig was cited for a 2nd time in Franklin County, Ohio on similar charges.
On February 5th, Craig was arrested on the same charge of driving under the influence, as well as allegedly driving under the influence while having a suspended license, failure to control a vehicle, and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence – high level.
That high level charge requires a blood alcohol content of over 0.17 and carries additional penalties and jail time in the state of Ohio. The legal limit in Ohio is .08.
Craig’s prior charges for an offense on January 16th, 2020 included a charge for low level impairment, which includes a tested BAC between .08 and 0.17. That charge, along with 2 others, were ultimately waived after Craig pleaded guilty to a general driving while impaired charge, which is a first degree misdemeanor.
For the January charge, Craig was given a $375 fine and had his license suspended for 366 days. He spend 3 days in jail in total. The charges dismissed include going 75 in a 65 mph zone, failure to drive in marked lanes, and the low level DUI charge.
Each of his new charges are misdemeanors. A second guilty offense for DUI/OVI in Ohio in less than ten years carries a mandatory increase in penalties, including a minimum mandatory 10 day jail sentence. That carries an increase to 20 days when accompanied by the high test charge that Craig has, according to the Dominy Law Firm. The maximum sentence is up to 180 days in jail, a license suspension for up to 7 years, and a fine up to $1,625.
Craig has pleaded not guilty to the 2nd set of charges.
Prior to details of his arrest becoming public, Ohio State released the following statement: “Cameron is working through some personal matters at this time and that is his focus right now. He has taken a leave of absence from swimming and he remains a valued member of our program. We love him and will continue to support him and we ask that you respect he and his family’s privacy at this time.”
Craig previously competed for Arizona State, completing his freshman and sophomore campaigns there in 2016-17 and 2017-18. As a Sun Devil, the Michigan native was the 2017 Pac-12 champion in the men’s 100 free and won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 in the 200 free.
He then took last season off before announcing he was joining the Buckeyes this past August.
This season the 21-year-old ranks 28th in the nation in both the 100 free (43.03) and 100 fly (46.57), and has also been 19.89 in the 50 free. In his last appearance versus Kentucky, Craig won both the 50 free (20.07) and 100 fly (48.39).
Y’all who criticize –
easy to judge and scream from the cheap seats when one is NOT educated nor has been affected by substance abuse. Educate yourself. Express your opinions with compassion.
On a bender . Ohio needs to cut that .08 to ..05.
Ok, stuck up for this kid on round one. This time, shame on me. This isn’t something you do TWICE and consider it a “mistake” it’s a poor decision. He needs held accountable.
No amount of diet coke is gonna solve this one
Young man certainly made a poor decision, and deserves more than a slap on the wrist for this. OSU’s statement was a class act; they’re here to support him and try to get him the help he needs to be a better person. I hope he finds solace through punishment and rehab. If he figures this out, he could be one of the greatest swimmers to walk the earth.
Ok, but why can’t the Buckeyes get him an Uber, tho?
I’m assuming those who are making disparaging remarks have never cared about someone who is an addict. Because if you had, you would know that no matter how much you want them to get better you can’t make them. No matter what you do, you can’t make them seek help. The only person that can do this is the addict. You would also not blame those around him for his addiction. What you would do, is pray for his recovery. And you would reach out to those who care for him with love and support.
No doubt it is startling clear to those who care about him, that he needs help. Reach out to them and give them the… Read more »
No one is knocking him because he might have an addiction. We are knocking him because he chose to get in a car and drive while intoxicated.
Anyone who has had a loved one deal with addiction knows how very difficult this can be. Obviously I don’t condone his actions, but I do hope Cameron gets the help he needs. My heart also goes out to his loved ones, as it can be gut wrenching to watch a loved one struggle with addictions.
Well written SWIMMOM.
Cameron is a troubled young man. He needed help when he was in high school. He needed help at ASU. He needs help now. What’s troubling is the culture and mindset of the OSU coaching staff who recruited a known problem while cutting, forcibly removing or having other scoring, committed swimmers leave the program. OSU needs to do an investigation and it starts with the head coach.
Who did Ohio State force out? I see one sprinter from Columbus no longer on team