COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University has placed Luke Perez, an assistant professor at the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society, is on administrative leave after a video circulated online showing him violently attacking an independent journalist inside a campus building.
The footage, published Tuesday by the Ohio website The Rooster, shows a man, later identified by WBNS as author D.J. Byrnes and documentary filmmaker Mike Newman, inside Smith Laboratory as they attempt to question former Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee about Ohio billionaire Les Wexner and related topics. In the video, Perez is seen stepping between Newman and Gee to block the interaction before attacking Newman and forcing him to the ground.
The university confirmed to the media that Perez was placed on administrative leave following the incident, but has not released further details about any internal investigation or potential disciplinary action.
In a post, Byrnes said he is not affiliated with Newman and described his role as limited to asking Gee questions. Byrnes wrote that he sought comment from Gee after remarks the former university president made in January, during which Gee reportedly characterized efforts to remove Wexner’s name from Ohio State buildings as an example of “cancel culture.”
The confrontation has drawn renewed attention to tensions surrounding public debate over Wexner’s legacy at Ohio State and his deeply intertwined dealings with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.