A former OSU player, who played for the Buckeyes from 2003 to 2007 and was drafted by the Bears in the 2008 NFL draft, appeared in court several times following a fatal June 21 car crash. Kirk Barton first appeared in Franklin County Municipal Court, and the judge set his bond at $500,000. Following that, a grand jury indictment in August, but he appeared in court to plead not guilty. Now, in his final major court appearance on March 25, with a new development in Barton’s case, the judge announced the punishment.

Kirk Barton initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges related to a fatal car crash in 2025 that killed 24 YO Ethan Perry. On Wednesday, after he changed his plea for charges, the former OSU player was sentenced to five years in prison. This came after he admitted in court that he was legally responsible for one charge of aggravated vehicular homicide related to the crash. Even the judge ordered his license suspended permanently.

Barton faced four criminal charges related to the car crash. Two for his reckless driving and speeding, which caused the death, and two for driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Now, except for the one charge for which he accepted guilt, the other charges were dropped. However, the former OSU player expressed his regret for his past actions during his sentencing.

“I am pleading guilty because I am guilty,” he said.

Last June, the car crash took place in Dublin, Ohio, at approximately 3 a.m. when Barton was driving a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck on U.S. 33. But he was driving the wrong way, according to the court document, and when he turned around to correct it, he hit Perry’s car. And the 24YO died on the spot. Barton was also not in good condition.

He admitted later to police that he drank alcohol before driving, while court data featured a 0.17% alcohol content in his blood after the crash. More importantly, evidence presented in court revealed that Barton was driving 126 mph just before the collision. Considering all this, the former OSU player apologized to Perry’s family, but Perry’s mother Roslyn’s court statement says Barton is responsible.

“Because of your selfishness, I will never be a mother of a groom or a grandparent. Because of your selfishness, he doesn’t call me in the morning anymore,” said Roslyn.

In fact, Judge David Cain explicitly suspended a $10,000 fine because the family confirmed their plans to file a civil lawsuit. Therefore, Barton’s legal battle doesn’t end yet. However, the player once had a standout football career.