An Ohio State professor got slapped with a suspension after he allegedly assaulted a journalist who was attempting to confront the school’s former president after footage of the incident was posted on social media and immediately went viral. Luke Perez, an assistant professor teaching in the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, was having a conversation with two freelance reporters in a Smith Laboratory hallway when the incident occurred.
The victim, Michael Neuman, tried to walk past Perez when the staffer lost his cool and attempted to grab his phone before grappling with him and taking him to the floor. The footage of the altercation was shared by DJ Byrnes on his Instagram account. Byrnes, who is in charge of the Rooster newsletter, says that Neuman, a documentarian, was trying to ask Ohio State Vice President E. Gordon Gee a question about student debt.
“I told you not to put that in my face,” Perez can be heard yelling over Neuman. “Now, I’m not gonna ask you again, don’t touch me.” Neuman shouted back, “I didn’t touch you, motherf–ker, who the f–k are you.” The staffer then claims that Neuman “put his hands on me” before allegedly shoving a camera in his face. Perez, who is a 12-year Air National Guard veteran, starts to walk away as both journalists threaten to call the police and have him arrested.
“That’s a lawsuit for sure,” Neuman says. “Are you f–king kidding me? He hits like a b—h, too. Sucker-punching me and he can’t knock me out? What a b—h.” According to the New York Post, Gee, the president emeritus of the university, was a guest speaker for Perez’s class, where he was delivering a lecture as part of a series on “profiles in American leadership.”
The report goes on to reveal that Byrnes previously interviewed Gee in the hallway concerning remarks he made claiming sexual abuse survivors at Ohio State were guilty of engaging in “cancel culture,” along with questions about the school’s lengthy history with now- deceased pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, and privatized on-campus parking.
After Byrnes’ questioning ended, Neuman wanted to ask a follow-up, but then Perez got involved telling the two men they were done before exploding into a violent rage. On February 10, 2026, the school placed Perez on paid administrative leave to allow campus police an opportunity to look into the assault. Byrnes is claiming that Perez’s actions are a violation of their First Amendment rights since Ohio State University is a public institution.
“I thought we were in a bastion of free speech only to end up with a guy physically assaulted,” Byrnes told the press. “There’s no other way to describe it other than assault. It was bizarre.” Neuman, the victim in the incident, is demanding that Perez be charged with assault.
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“My client wants Perez prosecuted and terminated,” Neuman’s lawyer, Rocky Ratliff, said in an interview with a local media outlet. “This is not the actions of an admirable professor or someone who’s professional. If the roles were reversed, he definitely would already be in jail.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video