Records Prove Thaddeus Gibson Paid for His Car

The Columbus Dispatch, following up on an investigation into used-car purchases by Ohio State football players, has determined that Thaddus Gibson did pay for the car he purchased from a Columbus-area dealership in 2007.

BMV records show that former linebacker Thaddeus Gibson paid $13,700 for a 2007 Chrysler 300C that he bought from former Jack Maxton salesman Aaron Kniffin in June 2007.

It was originally reported that the title to Gibson's car was listed as zero dollars. That title was shown to be an error of some sort, however, after the Dispatch requested an older form and discovered that Gibson payed for the car, as he stated in the original story.

The Dispatch offered a correction, too, for including Maurice Wells' mother in the report. Her car was not purchased from Kniffin, but Wells traded it to the dealership as part of the transaction for his car.

There is also further clarification on the number of athletes who purchased vehicles from the salesman connected to the two dealerships, Aaron Kniffin.

Ohio State and the BMV launched investigations last week after The Dispatch found that eight athletes and several athletes' relatives had purchased used cars from the same salesman when he worked at two different dealerships.

The Dispatch's investigation turned up eight players and some family members, but Kniffin claims that he sold more than four dozen cars to Ohio State players and family members of players between 2006 and 2009. It now appears that the investigation is focused on the precise relationship between Kniffin and the players, as well as possible discounts the players' received. The title deeds on certain cars indicate that players purchased them for below Kelly Blue Book value, causing Ohio State's compliance department to review the purchases.

Kniffin defended the purchase price on the cars, telling the Dispatch that the dealerships did not report the correct prices to the Ohio BMV.

The BMV is investigating because Kniffin said the purchase prices listed on transactions with OSU athletes and relatives do not reflect accurate sales prices, as required by Ohio law.

As it stands, I see this story ending in one of three ways, or some combination thereof. Either the players' received improper benefits in the form of lower purchase prices, or the benefits gained were not really the product of their status as athletes, but rather of a down economy and a tough time to be a used-car salesman. We still don't know how much lower the cars were sold below Blue Book value. Gibson's title price was the only included in the original report, and it's now irrelevant due to this latest revelation.

Of course, there's a third option that the BMV is investigating. The players may not have received any special benefit on their cars, and the dealerships may have inaccurately reported the purchase prices on title deeds to avoid higher taxes. The BMV will be very interested in the incorrect title deed for Gibson's car, and the dealership will need some answers.