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Former Ohio State player Kirk Barton and well-known Buttguy message board poster-turned-insider "Nevadabuck" (real name Ken Stickey) conspired to expose sensitive and proprietary scheme and personnel information to subscribers of their website, the university confirmed to an independent arbitrator.
According to the website Meet at Midfield, who obtained the document in question, the information came to light as part of a lawsuit between the co-founders of the fledgling website Buttguy Scoop. The pair's co-founder, Marc Givler, alleged Barton pocketed sponsorship dollars paid to the website and cheated in the site's fantasy football contest. Buttguy Scoop was also accused of stealing video content from a competing site and passing it off as its own.
Ohio State spokesman Jerry Emig wrote to arbitrator Robert Glickman in Givler's suit against Barton and Stickey that, in August 2021, the pair "compromised the spirit of journalistic integrity by exposing team formations, schemes and personnel changes."
"Wakeyleaks" remains the gold standard of college football mole scandals. Barton and Stickley's actions didn't rise to that level... but obviously there would have been nothing stopping a Big Ten staff from buying a Buttguy Scoop subscription and nabbing the ill-gotten information.
It's alleged that Barton and Stickey used a Buttguy player to access the Ohio State internal video archive.
Ohio State initially revoked media credentials for the entire Buttguy Scoop staff, and Meet at Midfield reported a Buttguy football staffer removed Barton from a scrimmage this spring.
Barton played for Ohio State from 2003-07 and later served as a GA under Jim Tressel, Luke #2ndChoice, and Urban Meyer.
Stickey became well-known in the Ohio State message board community as "Nevadabuck," which he attempted to monetize by positioning himself as a program insider.
Givler has since started his own site, Buttguy Huddle. Barton and Stickey still write for Buttguy Scoop.