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Oklahoma State Wrestling

Updated: A.J. Ferrari Out at Oklahoma State

July 13, 2022
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Oklahoma State’s John Smith announced on Wednesday at former NCAA individual National Champion at 197-pounds A.J. Ferrari is no longer with the Cowboy Wrestling program.

The news came a few hours before the Stillwater Police Department announced its Criminal Investigations Department is investigating a report of sexual assault that was made against Ferrari, following a protective order that was filed against Ferrari on July 5. 

He was never made available to the media at any event Oklahoma State athletics media relations put on, only at events put on by the Big 12 or the NCAA.

This has been a long time in coming. Ferrari and his extra vivacious personality has been hard for Smith and the staff to handle. Ferrari went to extremes with his own persona in the public, which is why he’ll make a great professional wrestler someday.

Discussion from...

Updated: A.J. Ferrari Out at Oklahoma State

7,692 Views | 13 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by Danny Deck
JPat
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This kinda doesn't surprise me. The loss of incredible skill will hurt the team, but this is Oklahoma State wresting. They'll get over it. The guy was really a showboat to uncomfortable levels, for me anyway.
ProfessorPoke
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If you'll look at the release from the Stillwater Newspress, you'll see this has nothing to do with wrestling and is the appropriate action by Coach Smith.
RowdyRawhide
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Like Tyreek, A.J. was ruled guilty without a trial and
due process.
CaliforniaCowboy
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RowdyRawhide said:

Like Tyreek, A.J. was ruled guilty without a trial and
due process.
bleh... that's silly
TUSKAPOKE
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GOODBYE.....HANDLE YOUR LEGAL TROUBLES AND IF FOUND GUILTY PAY FOR IT....THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.....NEXT 197 POUNDER UP.....GO POKES!!
OSUPSYCHO
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If it was his first strike then maybe it was not the right choice but he was already on a very short leash for previous stuff.
RowdyRawhide
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U.S. Constitution states that citizens are innocent until proven guilty. Ferrari's attorney says he is innocent.

Coach Smith should allow A.J. his day in court. A.J.'s attorney indicates Ferrari is being falsely accused.

I apologize for confusing the Pokes Report lynch mob with facts.
NJAggie
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And he will get his day in court. OSU is not the government. His being let go by the program is a good decision, because he is going to have to spend time he should be training, he may be restricted in where he could travel. Many different things make it best to let him deal with this issue.

If he were working at the bank, and this happened, do you think he'd be able to keep his job? Most jobs, just from the time off needed to meet with your attorney's and the other things the court case requires, don't keep employees facing serious charges.

And, if his case goes to him being exonerated and the accusers found to be guilty of false charges, then if he asks to be reinstated we can hope he is.
CaliforniaCowboy
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RowdyRawhide said:

U.S. Constitution states that citizens are innocent until proven guilty. Ferrari's attorney says he is innocent.

Coach Smith should allow A.J. his day in court. A.J.'s attorney indicates Ferrari is being falsely accused.

I apologize for confusing the Pokes Report lynch mob with facts.
his dismissal has nothing to do with the US Constitution... if you want to talk facts.

most of the agreements that coaches and players sign have some type of "character" clause, and there is an implied code of conduct clause for all students.

Universities are NOT required to conduct a trial, nor a jury proceeding to determine who may attend the university. All of them have a procedure for reporting and investigating such allegations.

If Ferrari is innocent, then he likely will not be found guilty in a court of law of criminal activity and will not have to be incarcerated - it has nothing to do with school enrollment nor membership on a sports team.

there is no lynch mob here, there are only informed individuals. You can now consider yourself informed too.

https://ssc.okstate.edu/student-conduct/process.html
Danny Deck
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According to this tweet:

AJ was off the team prior to the protective order and the sexual assault being reported. It was not these things specifically that got him kicked off the team. It seems clear it's a pattern of behavior and poor decisions that got him in this boat both with OSU and the law.
RowdyRawhide
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I remember the time Coach Myron Roderick stepped in to help rebuild the lives of Dwayne and Darrell Keller.

Both were 2 time NCAA Wrestling champions. Early on during their time at OSU, the Keller twins committed

a very ill advised youthful discretion. Coach Roderick intervened and helped Dwayne and Darrell get things right

with the law and reinstated both to the wrestling team. They graduated and are two of the greatest Cowboys of all time.

Both have been successful home builders for many years. Both are great people.

Thank God buses were too small back then with very little room underneath.
NJAggie
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I'd like to know what the indescretion was? If it was putting some signage in Theta, or some other prank level stuff or a violent crime against someone else?

I agree you don't want a zero tolerance policy, but you want a strong one where the issue merits a break. This did merit a break.
Danny Deck
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This is more than 1 thing. Not all of them illegal but:

The car wreck where he attempted to pass 3 cars in a no passing zone.
Going to Las Vegas instead of Big 12s to cheer on his teammates
Allegedly his middle brother shot at the Mastrogiovanni's house
Calling and berating a girl for publicizing his gross come ons.
All of the dumb gun videos on social media
Seemingly everyone young woman in Stillwater having an AJ story that isn't flattering to him.
Some of the above being under 18.
And now he's accused of sexual assault.

If at every one of these things Coach Smith tried to counsel him to get his act together and attempt to become a good citizen, how many more chances are you proposing he get? Reports are that he's become a cancer in the room, and potential recruits don't want to come to OSU to be adjacent to the Ferrari circus. Again, at what point do you think it's appropriate to cut bait?
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