Jack Allen not disciplined by Big Ten for alleged eye-gouge against Ohio State

Although he was reported to have attacked the eye of an Ohio State player last Saturday, Michigan State offensive lineman Jack Allen will not be penalized by the Big Ten for the incident, according to the Detroit Free Press' Joe Rexrode.

Michigan State's starting left guard, Allen and Buckeyes defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins each let their emotions get the better of them following a pile-up in Saturday's 17-16 Ohio State win. Clear video of the incident showed both players reaching for the facemask of their opponents after the play had ended, with Allen retaliating with a final blow that appeared to hit Hankins somewhere near the eye.

After reviewing the full tape sent in by Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, the conference determined that Allen still did not violate the league's sportsmanlike conduct policy in the confrontation. As one of the parties involved in the review process, Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis released a statement to inform fans that Allen would not be further penalized:

"There are procedures in place to review any alleged violations of the policy," Hollis said. "After a thorough review, the Big Ten has determined that MSU offensive lineman Jack Allen didn’t violate the conference’s sportslike conduct policy. As athletics director, I had an opportunity to be involved in this review process and while his actions ‘weren’t a football play,’ this clearly wasn’t an eye-gouging incident."