As Ohio State was preparing to face No. 1 Texas in Columbus on Saturday afternoon, a former Buckeye player was staring down some serious criminal charges.
Michael Roen McCullough, who goes by Roen McCullough professionally, was arrested Friday night in an alleged domestic violence incident. A former walk-on long snapper for Ohio State, McCullough has been charged with one felony count of strangulation, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.
McCullough is currently in Franklin County jail and is due to appear in court on Tuesday, according to 10TV.com.
What happened
Police were called to a residence in the 100 block of Marconi Boulevard on Friday night, according to 10TV.
Upon arrival, officers encountered a woman–McCullough’s reported girlfriend–who said she and the former OSU player were driving home in his vehicle Thursday morning when an argument began. The woman claimed McCullough broke her cell phone and then attacked her, punching her in the face multiple times and grabbing her by the throat.
“The woman said she could not breathe and felt panicked, court records state,” wrote 10TV. “She reportedly did not remember being driven the rest of the way home and regained consciousness when they parked in front of their home.”
Police officers say the woman displayed a black eye and swollen lip, as well as other marks on her face and throat area.
Who is Roen McCullough?
A native of Columbus, McCullough played his high school football at nearby Worthington Kilbourne High School before pursuing a career as a walk-on at Ohio State.
A member of the program from 2018-20, he did not appear in a game for the Buckeyes but was a standout in the classroom. The finance major in the Fisher College of Business was a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2020.
According to his Instagram profile, McCullough is a “Follower of Christ” and “@ohiostatefb alum” who works in venture capital and private equity.
McCullough recently survived a “scary” accident
On November 17 of last year, McCullough was involved in a serious car accident, which he detailed in the Instagram video below.
While traveling home from the gym, McCullough said he swerved to avoid a car cutting into his lane and wound up hitting a disabled car ahead of him. After that, his car was rear-ended, and the hood folded up through the windshield and split his face open and cut his right eye in half.
As a result, McCullough needed several surgeries, and according to the GoFundMe organized on his behalf, he also had his right eye removed and fitted for a prosthesis.
The fundraiser has so far accumulated over $51,000 toward a $75,000 goal.
