As The Ohio State University's most anticipated football game of the year kicked off Saturday, concern loomed over the team as one of their players remained missing. Kosta Karageorge, a 22-year-old defensive lineman from Columbus, had missed practice Wednesday, which coaches said is out of character, according to a statement from the Columbus Police Department. Karageorge's mother, Susan Karageorge, told NBC affiliate WCMH that he was last seen at his apartment near campus on early Wednesday after sending her a text that read: "Sorry if I am an embarrassment, but these concussions have my head all [expletive] up." The football player and wrestler has a history of sports-related concussions, his mom said.
Karageorge's team members joined a group of about 100 people Friday to search for the fifth-year senior. Former OSU defensive end Matt Finkes offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who can provide a tip leading to Karageorge. OSU's head football coach Urban Meyer added that he's a "hard worker on the field and pleasant off the field" and had been "an important player in practice for us, right up until the time he was reported missing." The Ohio State Buckeyes were playing their arch rival, the University of Michigan Wolverines, on Saturday in Ohio. Seniors, playing their final home game, were recognized before kickoff, and when Karageorge's name was called, a police poster with his information was displayed on a scoreboard.
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Mom: Missing Ohio State Player Texted About Concussions (NBC Sports)
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— Elisha Fieldstadt