It’s not the best time to be a former Ohio State player. Just a month ago, former Ohio State national champion Darron Lee’s troubles with the law emerged after he was arrested in Tennessee for a first-degree murder charge. Now, another former Ohio State player’s run-in with the law has come to its conclusion, as he finally pleaded guilty to multiple robberies that happened over the course of two months in 2024.

According to reports, former Ohio State cornerback Marcus Williamson has pleaded guilty to more than one-third of the charges in connection with the multiple robberies. The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to nine felony counts that also included five counts of robbery and four third-degree robbery charges. Williamson’s legal case dates back to March 7, 2024, when reports indicated that he had robbed several banks.

The alleged robberies happened throughout Franklin County and lasted till April 24. Reports state that Williamson used to present a note to the teller, demand money, and claim that he was armed with a gun. Later, the local police reported that the former OSU player would flee the banks in a blue jeep. However, during his last robbery attempt, authorities identified Williamson as he left the building and took him into custody.

Authorities then charged the Westerville, Ohio, native with 25 felony counts and set a $150,000 bond for 17 counts of robbery. Initially, though, he didn’t plead guilty, but on Monday, he finally accepted several charges, closing his case after two years. However, this isn’t the first time Williamson has had a run-in with the law.

Previously, Williamson was also arrested on a robbery and kidnapping charge in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, authorities identified a woman as a suspect, and she identified Williamson. In her testimony, the woman alleged that Williamson had forced her to drive to an ATM and withdraw $500. As for his multiple robbery cases, the judge has scheduled the final hearing for June 25 and will announce his sentence then.

Williamson now faces punishment ranging from probation to up to 40 years in prison. However, before Williamson’s run-in with the law, he was a standout player and even played a part in Ryan Day’s 2021 national championship final game against Alabama.

Williamson was a standout athlete once, but was fighting his inner demons

During his recruitment, scouting agencies graded Williamson as a standout four-star recruit and ranked him as the 24th-ranked CB in the nation. He committed to Ryan Day’s Ohio State on April 18, 2015, and stayed committed to the program despite interest from several power-4 programs. Even though he didn’t start in his true freshman season in 2017, he still became an Ohio State scholar athlete, an honor he got in 4 of his 5 years at the program.

Starts didn’t come easily at a blueblood like Ohio State, but Williamson persisted.

“It’s human nature to have second guesses, second thoughts if things don’t go your way,” Williamson said in the 2020 season. “Fortunately, I was able to just put my head down and work. I think I have too much love for this team to put myself first. I decided to keep working because that’s what we do.”

Gradually, Ryan Day noticed Williamson and even commended his “energy level” to be “off the charts.” Not to mention, he was also a leader in the DBs’ room. But fate had other plans for him. In the tail end of his career, Williamson went through mental health struggles and vowed to “reclaim” his life.

“I’ve had struggles all throughout college—injuries, personal life,” Williamson said. “I think it’s very easy to lose yourself in that sense. To be able to reclaim my life, reclaim my goals, reclaim my passions, and just start to live life. I think finding that through my spirituality and my connection to something I feel like is higher than me has been huge for my life and where I see it going.”

After spending some time behind veteran players, Williamson finally had a decent season in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, OSU’s former #5 totaled 27 tackles and defended two passes. Whereas in 2021, he notched 26 tackles and defended 3 passes. In total, he notched 67 tackles and was Ohio State’s Academic All-Big Ten twice, eventually graduating with a degree in history.