The Ohio State University president Ted Carter resigned Monday morning, following a 3-hour meeting Saturday in which he disclosed an inappropriate relationship to the university's board of trustees. Details are murky, but Carter told Ohio State's board that he entered into a relationship with "someone seeking public resources to support her personal business,"
"The Board was surprised and disappointed to learn of this matter and takes the situation and its potential impact on the university very seriously," Ohio State Board of Trustees Chair John Zeiger said in a letter accepting Carter's resignation, via the Columbus Dispatch. "We respect your decision and appreciate your cooperation in supporting an orderly leadership transition."
"I believe we have made much progress during my time at Ohio State, and I’m sorry I’m not able to remain your president longer," Carter said in an open letter to the Ohio State community. "The students, faculty and staff at this university are among the very best in the world, and the Education for Citizenship 2035 strategic plan has Ohio State poised to succeed for years to come."
Carter was in office at Ohio State for barely two years, and was under contract through Dec. 31, 2028, at a base salary of nearly $1.2 million with a bonus approaching $400,000.
He was previously the president of the University of Nebraska system from 2020-23 -- he was last seen around these parts encouraging then-AD Bill Moos to explore moving Nebraska back to the Big 12 -- and prior to that was a career Navy man, rising to become the Superintendent of the US Naval Academy from 2014-19. Carter is the second straight Ohio State president to leave under controversial circumstances; Kristina Johnson left the university after three years on the job due to conflict with OSU trustees on their loyalty to controversial figure and Ohio State super-booster Les Wexner.
Carter's resignation is not expected to have a major immediate impact on Buckeye football, where Ross Bjork is entrenched as athletics director and Ryan Day is preparing for his eighth season as head coach, one year removed from the school's ninth national championship.
It could, however, have a major effect on college football, though.
Carter was among the most tenured Big Ten presidents, and his departure comes as the sport faces its greatest inflection point in its 150-plus year history. College football's economics, governance, structure, and postseason format are all decided at the university presidential level, and the future of all are up for grabs. Most immediately, the Big Ten is pushing to double the College Football Playoff's size from 12 teams to 24, but moving forward it's an open debate if the Big Ten and other conferences will continue existing in their current forms, especially if and when the Sports Broadcasting Act is reformed. A formal split into something resembling the NFL Jr. has never seemed more real.
Ohio State is arguably the most successful, most-watched, and thus the most valuable brand in college football. Whoever the Ohio State president is will likely have a major say in what college football becomes in the coming years.
And as of Monday morning, we don't know who that person is.