Once it was announced that Jake Diebler would be the head coach of the Ohio State men’s basketball team, many people assumed that his brother Jon would join his staff.
Jon Diebler had a great career with the Buckeyes from 2007-2011, averaging 10.7 points per game while knocking down 41.6 percent of his attempts from the 3-point line.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they can’t hire Jon Diebler. That’s because the state of Ohio has very specific nepotism laws.
Here’s what the law states, via the Ohio Ethics Commission:
Many families have a strong tradition of public service and it is common for two family members to serve the same public agency or municipality. However, the Ethics Law forbids public officials or employees from authorizing or using a public position to secure “public contracts” – including a public job – for a member of their family. Therefore, public officials and employees are prohibited from using their public position to directly hire, or to secure the hire, of a family member. In fact, in the state of Ohio, nepotism is a fourth degree felony.
Former Ohio State star Evan Turner called out the state’s nepotism laws this Wednesday on social media. He believes Jon Diebler deserves to be on Ohio State’s staff because of his experience.
“My brother @J_Diebler broke the all time scoring record in the state of Ohio. Then he went to The Ohio State and broke the Big Ten Record,” Turner wrote on X. “After that, he played overseas for 10 years and won championships. Coached in the nba for a year and then has been with Butler.
“Respectfully, experience trumps nepotism in this case.”
Turner isn’t the only person in Ohio who feels this way. However, that won’t change things for the Buckeyes.