A former Ohio State Buckeyes player has received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge tied to an attack on a woman last summer.
Michael McCullough, 26, entered a guilty plea to the assault charge on June 29. He had originally faced an additional charge of strangulation, which was listed as a third-degree felony.
A Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge handed McCullough a 120-day suspended jail sentence, according to WCMH Channel 4. The sentence also includes 60 days in a work release program, five years of community control, and a $500 fine, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
McCullough was arrested on Aug. 29, 2025, after the woman, who was his girlfriend at the time, contacted police and said he had assaulted her the day before.
According to the woman’s account to police, the two argued while driving home. She said McCullough punched her in the face multiple times while they were still in the car and grabbed her by the throat with his hand.
The Dispatch reported that she told police she lost consciousness and does not remember the rest of the drive to their home.
WCMH reported that police noted visible injuries, including a black eye, a swollen lower lip and bruising around her neck. The woman also told police that McCullough had physically attacked her in the past.
McCullough joined the Buckeyes as a walk-on and worked as a long-snapper. He played for Ohio State from 2018 to 2020, WCMH reported.
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