The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State has fired Paul Hamm, an Olympic gold medalist and the university’s assistant men’s gymnastics coach, after he was arrested over the weekend, accused of assaulting a cabdriver and refusing to pay him.
“We have high standards for our coaching staff, and unfortunately, Mr. Hamm failed to meet those standards,” OSU athletic director Gene Smith said in a news release.
Hamm, 28, was being taken by cab at 1:48 a.m. Saturday to a house on Wexford Road, an Upper Arlington police report said.
The cabdriver, Abdinasir Elmi, told WBNS-TV (Channel 10) that he had picked up Hamm in the Arena District. Elmi said that Hamm punched him and kicked him in the leg after refusing to pay the $23 cab fare when they got to Upper Arlington.
Elmi called police. When Upper Arlington officers arrived, Hamm was sitting in a front yard in a “highly intoxicated” state, the report said.
Hamm was charged in Upper Arlington Mayor’s Court with three misdemeanor counts: assault, criminal damaging and not paying the cabdriver. The assault and nonpayment charges each carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Copyright 2011 The Columbus Dispatch