Ex-Ohio State All-American Kirk Barton facing felony vehicular manslaughter charge after fatal crash

Former Ohio State football player and 2007 first-team All-American offensive tackle Kirk Barton faces an aggravated vehicular manslaughter charge stemming from a fatal crash in Dublin, Ohio. According to NBC4, the crash occurred Saturday morning just before 3 a.m. ET and involved one fatality as 24-year-old Ethan Perry was pronounced dead at the scene. Barton faces a second-degree felony charge as a result of operating a vehicle under the influence.

Barton is suspected of driving a Ford F150 Raptor pickup truck "at a high rate of speed" on U.S. highway 33 before he entered Dublin and struck a Lexus. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is in police custody awaiting arraignment. Police did not say how fast they suspect Barton was driving at the time of the collision. The incident closed multiple roads in Dublin for about seven hours.

Barton has a history of traffic offenses, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Franklin County Municipal Court records show the 40-year-old was cited twice for speeding, once in 2008 and most recently in 2022. He was arrested in 2010 on suspicion of OVI, but the charge was later dismissed and Barton paid a small fine for a traffic violation. He also pleaded down an OVI charge to reckless operation and failure to stop after a second arrest in 2017. That charge resulted in a fine and 180-day license suspension.

Barton was a longtime starter on the Buckeye offensive line. He twice earned All-Big Ten selections and in 2007 shined as a first-team All-American. The Massillon, Ohio native redshirted his freshman year and logged starts in each of the ensuing four seasons en route to a seventh-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft.

The Chicago Bears selected Barton with the No. 247 overall pick in that draft, and the Ohio State product bounced across numerous rosters before he stepped away from the NFL in 2010. He spent time with seven different teams on active rosters and practice squads and played just one professional game in 2008 with the Bears.