COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Former Ohio State and Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Kyle Snyder is speaking out for the first time following his arrest last week in a prostitution sting.
Snyder, now 29, was one of more than a dozen men cited in a sting operation last week.
“I want to thank everyone who has reached out with kindness and support,” he wrote on X. “My focus is on my relationship with the Lord Jesus and my family. This is not the conclusion of my journey.”
Details of the Columbus prostitution sting where Kyle Snyder was arrested
Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Joe Albert said in a statement that detectives “published internet escort ads to solicit others to engage in sexual activity for hire.”
Just after 8 p.m. Friday, “officers began receiving texts and phone calls from an individual in response to one of the published ads,” the police statement said. “Through a series of texts and/or phone calls, a date was set up at a nearby hotel.”
A short time later, a man who turned out to be Snyder, police said, arrived at the hotel and paid an undercover officer cash in exchange for a sex act.
Snyder was arrested by uniformed officers inside the hotel room on a charge of engaging in prostitution.
He was issued a court summons and is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Snyder won an Olympic gold medal in 2016 and multiple word titles. He also won the 2016, 2017 and 2018 NCAA championships while wrestling for the Buckeyes.