Buckeyes assistant on leave, under investigation

A member of Ohio State's football support staff was placed on administrative leave in December because of a university investigation, according to a letter from the school's human resources department obtained by ESPN on Wednesday.

Ohio State quality control coach Joe Lyberger, who worked with the linebackers, received the letter from the school on Dec. 27 informing him that he would be placed on paid leave effective immediately and would not be allowed at the Buckeyes' facilities.

According to the letter, Lyberger was instructed to immediately return all university property and keys, and not delete any "emails, documents, and/or materials produced during your tenure as an employee."

The Columbus Dispatch first reported the story - less than two weeks after Ohio State beat Notre Dame, 34-23, on Jan. 20 to win the College Football Playoff national championship. The news also came on the heels of Penn State hiring former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles for the same position earlier this week.

The letter did not specify the allegations against Lyberger. The investigation was initiated by the school's Office of Institutional Equity, which helps the campus community "prevent and respond to all forms of protected class harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct," according to its website.

A school spokesman said there would be no comment because it's a personnel matter. Lyberger's Columbus, Ohio-based attorney, Sam Shamansky, told ESPN he is unclear of the accusations against his client.

"I'm not really sure. [The letter] is a bunch of vagaries," said Shamansky. "Can you imagine being in a criminal justice system and not knowing exactly what you're accused of doing? If you've got evidence, show it. If you have videotapes, let's see them. Why are we waiting around? My client has been asking for this information for a month."

Shamansky said he doesn't know how long the investigation will run other than "too long."

"While my client twists in the wind," he said, "the university machine moves at its own pace."

Lyberger, in his fourth season with the Buckeyes, came to Ohio State after working two seasons as a defensive assistant at Bucknell. Before that, he was a graduate assistant at Ohio Dominican University. He graduated from Slippery Rock in 2016, where he also played football.