Following an arrest earlier this week, Oklahoma State wrestling coach David Taylor quickly dismissed a sophomore wrestler from the team. The wrestler was detained early Wednesday by OSU campus law enforcement on misdemeanor charges, including public intoxication and malicious harm to property, as reported by Pistols Firing. According to documents obtained by The Oklahoman, the arrest occurred at 2:07 a.m. in a parking lot outside Gallagher-Iba Arena, where damage was reported to the windshield of an electric golf cart. 

The incident highlights Taylor’s high expectations for his athletes’ conduct both on and off the mat. This news is unfortunate, leading Taylor to take immediate action. The revered Penn State wrestling icon found himself in a difficult position when the arrest was revealed, compelling him to address the incident that has shocked the wrestling community.

David Taylor reacts to the OSU wrestler’s arrest

Recently, on X, The Wrestling Team (Pat Mineo) posted, captioning, “Jordan Williams is no longer part of the Cowboy Wrestling program due to a rules violation,” Taylor said in a statement. “We wish him well as he moves forward,” revealing the step that has been taken by the new head coach. Then, on Thursday, Williams made a social media post on Instagram and confirmed his dismissal by saying, “Yes, it happened.” He further added to the post that he feels sorry to let down everyone who supported him throughout his career.

He even acknowledged that he made a big mistake and continued, “I can’t go back and change that and also I’m doing well!! Also wanted to say thank you Oklahoma State!!” However, Williams struggled to find consistency early in his freshman season with the Cowboys, sparingly starting matches at 149 pounds. By season’s end, Williams had cemented his name among the elite with a breakout 17-9 record. He punched his ticket to the NCAA Wrestling Championships, falling just short of All-American honors in his debut appearance on the big stage.

Perhaps most impressively, Williams stormed his way to the Big-12 runner-up despite entering as an unseeded competitor, showcasing the tremendous growth made in his first year wrestling for Oklahoma State. Reflecting on his career, former coach John Smith once said to Pistol Firing, “I think more importantly, personally, he’s growing.” Though his career in wrestling was full of ups and downs, he still had confidence that he could perform better. Then, this talent came to OSU wrestling after spending their high school career for three seasons, where he bagged a trio of state titles at home.

But then, this unfortunate incident resulted in his spot being taken away with David Taylor’s last say in the OSU wrestling team. Intriguingly, this is not the first time Williams has been arrested. Last year, he was reportedly accused of stabbing a man on the subway in Brooklyn. However, his attorney said it was self-defense because the victim harassed a woman and attacked Williams. However, now the question is: how will the OSU wrestling team cope with this situation?

The position of OSU wrestling after Jordan Williams’ arrest 

The arrest of Jordan Williams raised questions about OSU Wrestling’s current stand. The wrestler who promised to perform better is now facing significant career challenges. Also, OSU wrestling is one of the most successful wrestling schools. OSU’s dominance is pretty evident, with 33 NCAA wrestling championships, 99 dual meets, and many more. Like when John Smith said in his farewell, “We didn’t like losing,” to Ocolly.com, it is so true even today. Hence, David just wanted to keep that promise and made the hard decision of dismissing Jordan for the team’s reputation and betterment. 

OSU will now target Carter Young to substitute for tackle Jason Raus right up the gap or push Tagen Jamison over 141 pounds. Young performed at 141 pounds for the Cowboys beginning with his freshman year but got an injury for that at the end of the 2022-2023 season. In addition to the freshman All-Americans mentioned above, others in contention for the 149-pound starting position at OSU include redshirt sophomore Cutter Sheets and freshman Kolter Burton. Now, as they find their way through this difficult period, the emphasis will be on assisting all those who are affected and working to rebuild OSU wrestling’s integrity and continuity.