The Blatnick Situation

Originally Published: Aug 2, 2010 8:38 PM CDT

There are some who probably know why OSU junior defensive end Jamie Blatnick and former teammate Steven Denning got into it at a Stillwater bar, but Blatnick’s involvement seems very surprising. He’s been the kind of student-athlete most coaches love to have on the team, a good student with leadership qualities who up until this past weekend never got into big trouble. Blatnick has said he wants to go to med school after he graduates.

Now there’s the mess of a fight with Denning, a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a beer bottle that fractured Denning’s orbital bone. And there’s Denning’s misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer, and the fact that police had to use a taser to subdue him.

So what’s next? Sources tell us Blatnick and Denning have already "made up," that Denning doesn’t want Blatnick to suffer severe consequences. That could go a long way. There’s at least a chance that Blatnick’s charge could be reduced, and considering he’s a first-time offender the punishment COULD be smaller. Head coach Mike Gundy at this point is still considering the situation, gathering all the facts. Time off the field for Blatnick at least for a while seems inevitable, but that’s from a somewhat distant perspective.