People seem to like celebrity news, especially when a celebrity is in trouble. Former O.S.U. wrestler Sammy Sasso was recently arrested in Pennsylvania. The arrest was, naturally, reported by Ohio and Pennsylvania news outlets, as Sasso is a quasi-celebrity. When a celebrity is accused a crime, are they really afforded the presumption of innocence?
All-American Athlete Victim of Tragedy
Sammy Sasso was a wrestler at the Ohio State University. But he wasn’t just any wrestler. He was a four-time All-American and a two-time Big Ten Champion. Although he was probably only known by serious wrestling fans and Ohio State sports fanatics, he came to the attention of the broader Ohio population in 2023.
In August of 2023, Sasso was the victim of a carjacking. During the incident, one of the perpetrators shot Sasso. Sasso underwent multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy. He resumed wrestling in November of 2024 but decided to retire from wrestling in February of 2024. The shooter was sentenced to ten years in prison, and Sasso spoke at the sentence hearing, saying, “I wish the best for Mr. Lee, truthfully.” The saga was covered extensively by the Ohio media.
All-American Athlete Suspect of Felonies
In July of 2025, Sasso was stopped by police in Pennsylvania for an expired vehicle registration. The police searched his vehicle, and Sasso was charged with four counts of Firearms Not to be Carried Without a License, one count of Possessing a Controlled Substance, one count of Possessing Drug Paraphernalia, and a vehicle registration offense. Sasso now lives in Pennsylvania and coaches wrestling for Lehigh University. The arrest was reported by the media in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, where Sasso’s court case will be held, will Sasso be afforded the presumption of innocence?
The Presumption of Innocence
It seems to be human nature to presume guilt. If you see a car stopped on the side of the road and there is a cruiser stopped behind it with the lights flashing, what do you assume? I have asked this question to many potential jurors, and nearly all of them assume the driver of the car violated a traffic law.
Accordingly, when a jury is told the ‘defendant’ is accused of committing crimes, it is natural for the jurors to assume the defendant probably committed those crimes. That assumption is even more natural when the jurors have heard news stories about the defendant’s conduct.
In the United States criminal justice system, we overcome the natural tendency to assume guilt by instructing the jurors they must presume the accused person is innocent. This applies to all criminal cases, including DUI cases (called ‘OVI’ in Ohio). The presumption of innocence is a bedrock principle of procedural fairness. Although it is not listed in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, the United States Supreme Court has recognized the presumption of innocence as a fundamental right going back to 1895.
No Presumption of Innocence With Media
The presumption of innocence does not apply to the news media or the posters on social media, and they often do not assume a person is not guilty of the accusations. For example, in the case of Bruce Springsteen’s DWI arrest, news reports and social media posts assumed Springsteen was guilty, but the DWI was later dismissed.
Jurors are not reporters. They take an oath to presume innocence. We can only hope the jurors in the case of Sammy Sasso and other celebrities take the oath seriously so famous (and quasi-famous) people are given a fair trial.
About the Author: Shawn Dominy is a leading OVI lawyer in Ohio and the founder of the Dominy Law Firm in Columbus, Ohio. He can be reached through his law firm’s website: Dominy Law Firm.
