Former Ohio State football star Kirk Barton officially pled guilty in court on Wednesday afternoon, March 25.
Barton, 25, was involved in a fatal car accident last summer. He will be going to prison for his role in a high-speed, wrong-way crash that killed a 24-year-old man last summer. Barton was involved in a collision on June 21, 2025, that took the life of Columbus resident Ethan Perry.
The former Ohio State football star was found to be driving a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck westbound in the eastbound lanes of U.S. Route 33. After Barton realized he was going the wrong way, he turned around and allegedly drove recklessly, getting up to 126 MPH, according to prosecutors. He ultimately drove into Perry's Lexus at 114 mph near West Bridge Street and Franklin Street.
Perry was declared dead at the scene, while Barton sustained injuries. In court, officials declared that Barton's BAC at the time of the crash was .242 — more than three times Ohio's legal driving limit of .08.
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In court on Wednesday, Barton officially pled guilty.
"I am pleading guilty because I am guilty," Barton told the judge.
Perry's mother made an appearance and statement in court, as well.
"Because of your selfishness, I will never be a mother of a groom or a grandparent," Roslyn Perry said in court. "Because of your selfishness, he doesn't call me in the morning anymore."
Barton was a standout lineman at Ohio State
Barton, who had a brief NFL career, starred at Ohio State from 2003 until 2007. He was a first-team All-American in 2007.
The former Ohio State star later went into media, working for a variety of outlets that covered the Buckeyes.
Barton was officially sentenced to at least five years in prison by Ohio courts on Wednesday. He will begin serving his sentence immediately.
