Spartans RB faces charge of drunken driving

Freshman Howard arrested in Ohio

By Mark Feather
For the Lansing State Journal

Michigan State redshirt freshman running back Tony Howard is scheduled to appear in an Ohio court on Aug. 9 after he was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to documents on file with the Garfield Heights (Ohio) Municipal Court.

MSU assistant athletic director John Lewandowski said Howard, 19, remains on the team.

A call to Howard's phone number listed with MSU went unanswered Monday and Tuesday. Howard's mother, Belinda, said Monday that she was unaware of any legal prosecution against her son. MSU coach John L. Smith, who does not publicly disclose methods of punishment, declined comment through Lewandowski.

According to a police report, officers responded to an accident at 11:46 p.m. July 2 in Howard's hometown of Garfield Heights, a suburb of Cleveland.

The police report states a vehicle driven by Howard struck another automobile in front of him while attempting to change lanes.

According to the report, an officer detected a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his person and red blood shot eyes." It also said Howard failed horizontal vision, walk-and-turn and one-leg balance field-sobriety tests.

He registered a 0.188 on a breath test, more than twice the legal limit of .08 for people 21 and over, according to court records.

Howard is charged with a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or $1,000 fine.

The 5-foot-10, 201-pound Howard was listed as the No. 3 running back on the spring depth chart despite sitting out the intrasquad scrimmage and missing several practices with a shoulder injury.

Howard rushed for 2,174 yards on 227 carries with 28 touchdowns as a senior at Garfield Heights, earning a No. 34 ranking for Ohio seniors by recruiting Web site Rivals.com.

NCAA could OK replay for 28 bowls this fall

The Big Ten's instant replay system will be used in all 28 bowl games this season if the NCAA approves a plan agreed upon by Bowl Championship Series officials.

"They are moving forward with the implementation of instant replay in bowl games," BCS spokesman Bob Burda said Friday.

The conference commissioners will present the idea to the NCAA in late September or early October. It is expected to gain approval, Burda said.

The Big Ten became the first conference to experiment with instant replay review of certain calls by on-field game officials in 2004, and the NCAA approved the use of it by all conferences in 2005.

Nine of 11 Division I-A conferences will use instant replay this season. Only the Western Athletic Conference and Sun Belt Conference have not approved a replay system.

A game must be televised for replay to be used and not all regular season games are televised. That's not a problem during bowl season, when all the games are on TV.

In the Big Ten's system, an official in the press box determines which calls to review and stops play when there is a questionable call.

The Big Ten's system drew mostly positive reviews from coaches because, unlike the NFL's system, the responsibility to review a play does not fall on the coaches.

Since all the conferences are using a replay system similar to the Big Ten's, BCS officials agreed to make that the standard for bowl games, Burda said.

FLASH: Alvarez in final season at Wisconsin

Barry Alvarez will hand the Wisconsin coaching job to Bret Bielema after this season and focus on running the school's athletics department.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the coaching move, which sources confirmed to ESPN.com's Pat Forde.

Alvarez is in his 16th season as the school's football coach and has also been serving as the athletic director since last year.

Bielema, who is 35, is in his second season as the team's defensive coordinator. He previously was the co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State.

Alvarez is 108-70-4 at Wisconsin with three Rose Bowl victories and seven other bowl appearances.

Ohio State finds QB Smith didn't violate NCAA rules

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith did not break any NCAA rules when he missed a class to attend a football camp sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair this summer, the school said Monday.

Ohio State athletic department officials spent six weeks probing Smith's attendance at the June football camp in Nashville, Tenn.

NCAA rules prohibit players from attending educational or charitable activities if they miss class and do not get written permission from the school's athletic director.

But because Smith was hired to be at the camp, his presence fell outside the scope of NCAA rules, the school said.

"It was something that he was employed to do, so it falls underneath the category of student-athlete employment," Ohio State spokesman Steve Snapp said. "It was not a promotional or educational activity."

The camp paid for Smith's overnight accommodations -- his only form of payment, Snapp said.

The NCAA and the Big Ten said on Monday they agreed with the school's findings.

But Smith still may face a reprimand from coach Jim Tressel.

"Anytime a student-athlete misses a class, it is unacceptable," Tressel said in a statement. "Troy understands how I feel about the situation and knows there will be consequences.''

Tressel will likely address the issue further at a Thursday news conference, Snapp said.

Last year, Ohio State suspended Smith from the Alamo Bowl for accepting about $500 from a team booster. The NCAA also suspended him for the Alamo Bowl along with the 2005 season opener against Miami (Ohio).