Ohio State Brutus statue to be replaced in time for Michigan Week
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – An Ohio State business will have its storefront icon on full display for Michigan Week after a lend from a helping hand.
Kroger announced it is loaning its Brutus statue to the College Traditions bookstore after a person severely damaged the statue, which has been a staple attraction since 2008.
According to Columbus police, the Brutus statue on West Lane Avenue was vandalized at around 3:15 a.m. Sunday. The suspect recorded himself destroying the fiberglass statue, dragging it in the middle of the street, kicking it and throwing it against the neighboring Woody Hayes statue.
The vandalism comes during Michigan Week, the team’s last home game and regular season game of the 2024 campaign.
The shop acquired Brutus in 2008 as part of Brutus on Parade, an initiative by the university to raise money for the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library — known now as the Thompson Library. It was damaged in January 2022 after it was struck struck by a skidding car.
Kroger will deliver the replacement statue Tuesday at 1 p.m.