Men of the Scarlet and Gray

Won’t hit you with vitriol, even though your post makes me sad.

However, the image that you describe is one of Nixon waving goodbye as the chopper leaves the White House lawn. And I’m not ready for that just yet.

Plus, I’m not sure he’d leave while the players that committed to staying are still around. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see a different face on the sidelines in 2011.

By MaliBuckeye on Apr 26, 2011

When one loses his integrity, there isnt much more to lose. Agree, time to go.

By Brian on Apr 26, 2011

Great post and fully agree. Did anyone catch Herbie’s interview on ESPN?

By Mark on Apr 26, 2011

Man, as much as it pains me to say, I can’t come up with argument. If these string of “mistakes” were stretched out a couple years, it might be easier to excuse. But because this happened so fast, in succession, with new revelations almost weekly, Tressel is now almost indefensible. I’m still not on the “He must GO” bandwagon, but I’m getting there.

In any other job situation, this much lying and “breaking the rules” would get your fired in a heartbeat, no matter how long you were with the company.

My biggest concern would be. If he steps down, what next? I think the most prudent course of action would be ride this season out with Tressel and have him resign after plans are in place. Whether those plans involve Luke Fickell or Urban Meyer, I don’t care. But things need to change.

By el Kaiser on Apr 26, 2011

My problem with the whole situation is that nearly everything is based on speculation. People have now decided that Tressel MUST have been contacting the FBI about the players because that’s what it looks like. But it COULD have been exactly as he said it was. The only thing that suggests otherwise is the timing. Tressel has coached hundreds of players at OSU and other schools; is it really so unlikely that one of them reached out to him for a connection at an unfortunately coincidental time?

The media has injected so much baseless conjecture and irresponsible half-truth into this story that the reality of what happened is no longer even their primary goal, if it ever was.

Please consider this question honestly: Have you ever made the wrong decision despite believing you were making the right decision? I know I have. While I certainly don’t have the information to explain all the details, I don’t have that much difficulty believing the basic story Tressel has presented, that he made some decisions that he believed at the time were in the best interest of young people who may have been involved in a dangerous situation and those decisions violated NCAA rules.

The challenge for all of us (in this case and in general) is to resist filling in the blanks to stories that have so much missing information. The media (especially sensationalist outlets like ESPN) almost always fails that challenge. Let’s not.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 26, 2011

@SYR – As far as the emails are concerned, the first one simply details some things Cicero “was told” about who may have sold memorabilia. From this, I would assume Tressel approached those players, and it’s not crazy that he contacted one of their mentors to see if there was any validity to it. At this point, should he have contacted compliance? Possibly, but is every email/phone call/etc. with an accusation forwarded to them? Or do coaches generally take some time to follow up on them to assess their potential validity? I don’t think any of us really know the answers to these questions.

The second e-mail explicitly states confidentiality. At this point, is it fair to guess at Tressel’s mindset? I can see how there could be some confusion for him on where to go with this. He, as he has said, made a poor choice.

The last email exchange was in June. According to that email Cicero only gave Tressel two names. If those players told him that they didn’t sell their stuff, could he have reasonably taken them at their word and in September signed the compliance document believing it to be accurate? His shock in December may not have been an act as there were more players involved and it would have led to the discovery that a couple of them lied to him.

That’s the problem as I see it. We don’t know. Either story is viable, except for your assertion that he “told everyone except who he should have.” Even you only think he told two other people. Only one is factually provable.

I understand your point of view and it is not necessarily wrong. But, as you admit, it is also not necessarily right. Are you really okay with Tressel being fired for assumed “facts” that are actually incorrect? Resignation is his choice, so that’s not really an issue.

There are two ways of coming at this and neither is really wrong. Like you, one could abandon trust in Tressel because of actions that are certainly hard to fathom. Or one can, as I do, wait and see what final evidence comes to light and until then hope that the trust Tressel has earned so far is deserved.

Again, I don’t fault anyone for choosing the other path. It is disappointing and disheartening for me that this is even a discussion we’re having. I can easily see how you and many others have arrived at this point. I just feel that there’s far too much unknown to make definitive statements about this case as it stands. Having half the facts is probably worse than having no facts at all.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 26, 2011

The problem for me is, Tressel is not Saban, He is not Les Miles, Nor is he Pete Carrol. He’s a guy who built his reputation on doing things the Right way. Whether or not you want to believe he lied or not at this point it’s irrelevant. We’re all going to back him because we’re Buckeyes. Recruits from Texas, Florida and other states could give two rips about the the Scarlet and Grey, and all of the sudden he’s just lost that Moral high ground. The only angle he has left to sell is, if your son does something wrong we will ensure he stands accountable for it……maybe.

It SUCKS, as I have never held a coach in higher regard. I wasn’t alive for Woody, and while he holds a place in my heart, Tressel is the Buckeye legend for me. I am sure I feel about Tressel the way that my dad Felt about Woody after he punched that kid. What a shame to see all that tarnish heaped on our Bronze statue. Non Buckeyes don’t remember Woody’s National Championships, they remember him punching that kid. Non Buckeyes won’t remember 2003 and Us shocking the country. They’ll remember Tressel cheated. The big issue at hand is ESPN is directly in competition with the Big Ten Network. It will tear apart ANY Big Ten School if given the chance. While sweeeping SEC infractions under the rug. This Flaming tarpit is going to smolder from here to eternity until Tressels head is on a plate. Now I hope that Tressel sees that 100 foot wave coming, and steers the ship right into it to crest that bad boy and we end up holding rings at the end of next season. But I feel eventually, if he was leaving in 2014 anyway. Someone else is going to be on our sidelines next season. That. Sucks.

By CaliBuckeye on Apr 26, 2011

FIRER HIM.!!!! HIRER URBAN MEIER.!!!

By coxy on Apr 26, 2011

@SYR – No argument here about his lying to the NCAA. That does not change that everything up until then could have happened just as I suggested. I am not trying to convince anyone that Tressel did nothing wrong, because he absolutely did. But that does not mean he did *everything* wrong, or with completely selfish intent. It is one lie, not lies on top of lies, and a failure to notify Compliance immediately.

Again, I completely understand how you got to your current point of view and in the end, you may be right about happened and I may even agree with you. Either way, I find it hard to believe that this is something that should get a coach fired on its on. There’s no pattern here, no hard evidence of some diabolical scheme to keep kids eligible (and if that’s what it was, he did a pretty bad job of it). I just need to know as much as they’ll tell us about this before I can get behind Tressel’s removal.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 26, 2011

Coxy,
Seriously? You want to sell our collective soul now that Tressel has had a chink in his armor? If Meyer is the plan then Keep Tressel. Or Hire Saban and complete the descent completely. I want no part of SEC ball at OSU

By CaliBuckeye on Apr 26, 2011

@SYR – Fair enough. I’m not sure if YSU, Clarett and Smith are really on the same level as this, but I get what you’re saying and it’s at least troubling.

I agree with you about falling on the sword, I just disagree about where the exit wound should be.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 26, 2011

Full disclosure — I am a Michigan alum and fan.

I am very sad to see Tressel’s tenure unravel. I was impressed that Jim Tressel “got it” from day one. He knew exactly what to say and do regarding The Game. I wish that Michigan had found someone similar earlier. He has led his teams with great dignity, and he has clearly instilled unwavering loyalty from many in the OSU fan base. However, like many of you, I find it difficult to believe that Tressel will ride this out.

I know that some in the Michigan family may find some pleasure in your pain and embarrassment. We have certainly had our share over the past three years. These feelings are misplaced on both sides. Michigan-Ohio State is a precious rivalry, and I look forward to when the teams are not overshadowed by unnecessary distractions.

Go Blue!

By Blue in San Diego on Apr 26, 2011

The following is strictly my opinion and probably laden with inconsistency.

I’m having trouble feeling strongly one way or another about all this. Tressel should receive the appropriate punishment for what he did and that’s all well and good. But whenever this whole ordeal ends I will see red if I see any of these pious commentators saying anything approaching “the system worked.”

The system is a freaking joke. My saying that probably looks like sour grapes because I’m a Buckeye fan first and foremost, but I maintain it would be true even if Tressel really was a baby Jesus clone in little golden diapers watching Baby Einstein DVDs like a lot of us thought he was.

Consider the following: (roughly) 100,000 seats x (roughly) $60/seat is $6 million dollars per home game in ticket sales alone, never mind concessions, parking, etc. How much of that went to the people who all those fans paid to watch play? I’ve got a #2 Buckeye jersey that I paid $60 for. I wonder how much Pryor (or Cris Carter, or Mike Doss, or whoever else wore #2 for that matter) got from that purchase, and the purchase of countless other jerseys over the last couple years. But if a player gets anything for his service to the university beyond his scholarship he’s persona non grata and ESPN, SI, et al puff up their chests and start spouting platitudes about the horrendous nature of violations against “amateurism” – as though the NCAA were some pristine body in the whole process. It’s exactly as ridiculous as the argument that FBS football shouldn’t get a playoff because of academics.

I know the issue at hand is Tressel and dishonesty, but he wouldn’t have been in a position like he was one way or another without the system being so jacked up in the first place.

College Football is a business just like anything else, and I choose to care about this particular event in this particular business about as much as I care when Mark Cuban rips NBA referees or Tony LaRussa whines about… well, anything.

By Bacon Ninja on Apr 26, 2011

(continued)

Like the Joker said, if you’re good at something, never do it for free, but that’s virtually what the NCAA (and the NFL by way of the three-year rule) is telling talented young football players to do.

By Bacon Ninja on Apr 26, 2011

Bacon, players getting “properly” compensated is a long, long standing issue. And at the end of the day it boils down to the fact that the sports actually exist for the students benefit, not the other way around. One or two sports exist for the benefit of the school, but most athletic departments run in the red, so I can pretty much garuantee a majority of universities would cut all sports programs if they could justify it to the students and alumni.

At the end of the day though, the issue here is that even if he made an initial bad decision, he severely compounded his mistake. A tip like he received absolutely should have gone through the compliance department. That is why it exists. He has a track record with many high profile players under his watch at this point, and the NCAA will want a pound of flesh. For OSU’s sake I hope he does the right thing and resigns. If he sticks around and is hit with show-cause, OSU will also probably be hit with LOIC and suffer scholorship losses and a bowl ban. If he has a shred of dignity left, or an ounce of care towards Ohio State, he will walk away and not risk the school facing harsher penalties.

By Mvrck on Apr 26, 2011

I think throwing college football and basketball (especially at the DI Level) in with fencing and field hockey is comparing apples and oranges. A field hockey player should feel lucky as hell to have a scholarship just to play field hockey. But it’s a little hard to place blame on a 19 or 20 year old who takes the five minutes required to do the math like I did above.

Re: Tressel – they always say the cover up is worse than the initial crime, unless the crime is murdering a hooker or something. Then the crime is worse I think. There doesn’t seem to be much more that needs to be said there. I’m sick of having random people in my classes 1300 miles away from Columbus asking me what I think of the Tressel business.

By Bacon Ninja on Apr 26, 2011

“My problem is I dont care that he cheated as I hope my sports teams are bending and breaking every rule they can to help them win games. I get angry every time someone mentions morals and sports in the same sentence. I dont look to my teams for my moral barometer. ”

Is this serious? You don’t care if your team breaks the rules so long is helps them win? That, to me, is a culture issue with Buckeyes. You don’t need to use a sports team as a moral barometer, but you can at least hold them to the same moral level you would anyone else, which at least in my book includes not cheating someone else for personal gain.

By Deep Under Cover on Apr 27, 2011

@SYR
I really don’t think you can compare covering up NCAA violations then continuing to lie about it the same as jockeying for a call in a game. Bluffing in poker? That is part of the game! There is no rule against bluffing, and there is no rule against trying to get a call to go your way in football (uh, to a limit… No bribing, of course )

Your logic here seems to be that since everyone is apparently cheating, that makes it ok for your team to do it, and I totally disagree with that logic. Even if my team was awful, which my team has been as of late, I could at least take some solice in the fact that they are playing by the rules (and the NCAA all but validated that belief)… And more solice in that my star player runs on dilithium and exhausts excess energy from his trillion watt smile.

Yes, cheating happens. People will always exploit opportunities, fair or not, to get an advantage, and what happens in the SEC should be punished. But does that make it ok to cheat? What’s more, does that make it ok to HOPE they are cheating?

I can tell you I know of no one else that hopes their team is full of cheaters. That is why I believe it is a Buckeye culture issue.

By Deep Under Cover on Apr 27, 2011

Late to the party, here, but wanted to chime in.

There is nothing – NOTHING – new about the NCAA notice from a few days ago. Maybe some of the details are new to us, sure, but not new to OSU or the NCAA.

What the NCAA reported was exactly what OSU self-reported and has known for months. It’s essentially OSU’s report, copy and pasted into NCAA format.

And that says something – OSU never had any intention of firing JT, and he never had any intention of resigning, even though all parties knew all these (and no doubt more) details. So it’s not going to happen. Period. Going forward without sweatevest was never part of the plan, and we have no indication that the plan has changed at all.

The only exception that I can think of is if the big donors were aghast enough to hold back $$, and changed public perception enough to make Smith/Gee reconsider their overall route. But that’s exceedingly unlikely, precisely because Tressel is known for running a spitshine program and is known and respected across the collegiate landscape as a man of integrity. Ever single coach, AD, and compliance officer in the country knows that what Tressel did is exactly what ANY coach in CFB would have done.

He’s lost some respect, for sure, but the man has friends, colleagues, and superiors who, while no doubt disappointed, will give him the benefit of the doubt precisely because this is an aberrant mark on his reputation.

ESPN and other sports outlets are doing their best to get him fired or pressured to resign, only because that is within their best interests.

But the folks who have the power to actually affect the decision are few: Gee, Smith, the bigger OSU donors, a few in the NCAA, and of course Tressel himself.

And none of that small handful of powerful people is that upset with the Coach.

ABOVE ALL: Don’t forget the big picture here: this all happened because a couple of players sold their own private property.

Was what they did a violation? Sure, but NOBODY who thinks rationally actually believes this is a big deal. The NCAA has to act, otherwise it proves itself as useless, but we all know they despise having to waste their time pursuing technicalities like this. It’s a dumb rule and everyone knows it.

Just like the cop who writes you a speeding ticket for going 56 in a 55. Were you a violater? Yes. Will the judge enforce the penalty? Maybe. Will he lump you in with the reckless drivers who get arrested for going 200mph while drunk in a school zone? Absolutely not. Even if ESPN is trying to paint you that way, all the people that matter and can actually affect the situation know the truth.

By sportsMonkey on Apr 27, 2011

A few things that need to be said here. First of all, Ohio State is NOT going to get hit with LOIC or Failure to Monitor. If they were, those issues would have been raised in the NOA. It appears now that whatever is going to happen is going to happen to Tressel. I’d be shocked with his relatively pristine track record (he did nothing wrong in the Clarett and Smith cases, at least by official, relevant measures) that he would get show-caused over this. Show-cause is a severe penalty that has been used sparingly in football (there are maybe 2, and I’m not sure if either was a head coach). It’s slightly more common in basketball, where the offenses always seem to be more significant.

I’m also a bit taken aback by SYR’s call for more cheating. I think I get the point you’re trying to make, but it doesn’t really make logical sense to me. I expect coaches, players, etc. to follow the rules and if they don’t, I hope they are punished. But it would be nice if this process could play out the way it would for any of us, with a reasonable amount of privacy and devoid of poisonous media speculation and grandstanding.

When the NCAA and OSU make their final decisions, I will accept them just as I do for every other school that runs afoul. If Tressel is fired, I will accept it and remain grateful that I was alive to witness what is probably the most impressive coaching run in school history. I will stump for guys like Dantonio and Fickell over “name” hires like Meyer or Stoops. Maybe we’ll find ourselves another dark horse gem and keep on rolling.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 27, 2011

Huh, thought it was obvious from my hints…

By Deep Under Cover on Apr 27, 2011

@SYR
I totally see your point, and I too think that in even the cleanest programs there are rules being broken (although I do not believe intentionally in all cases). HOWEVA, I do still HOPE coaches would strive to abide by all rules as best they can, both to avoid problems, but also to help in the development of the young men who look up to them. You may not look to sports for a moral compass, but what about all of the athletes under these coaches who are mentored by them? You yourself said that if you caught your kids in a lie you would punish them. Tressel is like a father to these kdis playing for him… So, do you want your coach (father) to show his players (sons) that it is ok to cheat so long as you don’t get caught?

By Deep Under Cover on Apr 27, 2011

@SYR
I agree and certainly don’t put on my blinders either. I do believe that there is a big differences between breaking rules unintentionally, and cheating. To me its like committing a foul in football… Its part of the game; you get punished for it, but no one would think you were necessarily a cheater.

You actually did correctly guess my school on your first try. When the allegations against UM came out, I obviously hoped first that they weren’t true, and then hoped that they weren’t as they seemed. Regardless of what I thought, I expected retribution toward the program that fit the offense, and I think that was the outcome. Michigan broke rules, but I think it was more on the grounds of not fully understanding them (an easy out, I know, but I do think that was the case). Had it been the case that the NCAA found that RichRod had “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance”, which in my mind says you are cheating (or know cheating is occurring) and you are doing nothing about it, I would have been calling for his head.

And please, don’t turn this into a personal thing about RichRod. Some people hate him, some people like him, some people don’t care. I get it

By Deep Under Cover on Apr 27, 2011

And to add to my point, had Tressel reported the tatgate stuff as soon as he knew it, commendable. Had he come clean when the story broke, ok a little late but not that bad of an offense in my mind (because maybe he really didn’t know what to do). Lying again is the most damning from my perspective (and I think there we certainly agree).

By Deep Under Cover on Apr 27, 2011

@SYR – Let me see if I’ve got this: You don’t want coaches to cheat, but you don’t care if they do, as long as they ‘fess up when they get busted. Does that sound right? Just trying to get a handle on what you’re saying.

I think it’s interesting that you note that you can’t understand how Tressel hasn’t been fired yet, based on what we know now, and even mention that maybe it’s because there are things we don’t know. You keep referring to definite facts that we know, and there are some, but the complete context is always important to understand any situation. It’s why we have laws regarding self-defense. I’m not trying to draw a parallel with that (at least not directly), just saying that if you don’t know the whole story, you don’t really know any of it.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 27, 2011

Oh, hey: Can we all stop using the word “cheating?”

Who honestly can imply that Tressel and/or OSU “cheated” in this situation and defend it rationally?

Cheating: “To defeat someone through trickery or deceit.” Who exactly did OSU defeat through trickery or deceit? (And if you try and say “everyone they beat last year,” you fail at logic.)

MotSaG Cheating Guide:

Bribing officials to ensure wins = cheating.

Bribing recruits to ensure they come to your school = cheating.

Stealing your opponents’ playbook = cheating.

Faking an injury to slow/stop the clock or falsely incriminate an opponent = cheating.

Intentionally injuring another player to ensure one’s victory = cheating.

Etc., etc. But players selling their own property != cheating.

By sportsMonkey on Apr 27, 2011

@sM – Someone is going to say that not turning in star players for violating NCAA rules, thereby affording them the opportunity to play in games that they possibly would have been ineligible for otherwise is cheating. And they will have a point. Still, that does not encompass all games last year, and considering the likely suspensions would probably mean 0-2 games (and I lean to the low side of that) would have been realistically affected by the absence of those players.

It’s not the act of selling the things that makes it cheating; it’s the failure to report a violation that most likely would have resulted in some kind of suspension. That said, it’s not the sort of thing I generally think of when I think of “cheating” so your point is understood. But the argument could be made and it’s not really an outlandish one.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 27, 2011

@SYR – I was guessing four games too. Those games were Marshall, Miami, Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Do we lose any of those games without the players that would have been suspended? Maybe Miami, but considering how well the defense played and how poorly Harris played, maybe not.

If we wouldn’t have lost the games without the players, then having them would not really be a competitive advantage, in the sense of winning vs. losing. Yes, the scores may have been closer, but those are most likely 4 wins no matter what.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 27, 2011

@CoD – good points. I understand that some folks see any rule violations as “cheating,” no matter how large or small. But my point was that the one-size-fits-all label of “cheater” seems egregious here. At the very least, it trivializes those shameful times when authentic, ruthless, serial attempts to defeat through deceit occur.

By sportsMonkey on Apr 27, 2011

@SYR – That’s a good point. Would be nice if this was all over with nothing different except a few more Pryor haters and no more than one additional loss.

@sM – I agree that people misuse the “cheating” label and I still don’t really think that’s what this was. In fact, it ties in the above point about the first 4 games. Tressel knew we had a virtual cakewalk when he made his decision, and it’s likely that he had a reasonable idea of what the punishment would be. There’s no way I can believe he did this for the sole purpose of making sure we beat Miami.

By Cloud of Dust on Apr 27, 2011

@ CoD,I heartily concur with your opinions!
@ sM, Right on!
@ SYR, are you sure it’s just 20 birdies?? LOL, not that I can say much as I have the worst slice ever.

Personally, I do not want to believe that JT was unfaithful to us. There is a lot of speculation that he was. Most of it from the media. The saying “there are three sides to every story, the two pitted against each other and the truth in the middle” is apt in my estimation. CoD reminded us that JT was only one person in the multiple players in this scenario. Sure, he should of went to the right office immediately and shared the emails but what is done is done. I will always wonder if every email sent to a head coach is circumstantial at best. Think of the public workers that get recorded sitting down and eating their lunch for the allowed thirty minutes but when John Q Public is done tampering it’s two hours. See speculation and conjecture..At this point, I’m just waiting to see how everything turns out. I will stand behind Tressel regardless of the outcome. He is a stand up guy with human faults as the rest of us. I will not cast the first stone.

As for the NCAA, I absolutely agree that they are using JT as the sacrificial lamb in all of this. When most of the blame should be shouldered by the NCAA. For failure to enforce the policies they require schools to adhere to instead of playing “catch up” as its SOP(as commented on here previously). There have been worse allegations in the past against schools than OSU is facing at the moment. Again, time will tell how this all will shake out..

By Gretchen on Apr 28, 2011

I’ll wait until the entire story comes out, including the summary of the penalty phase to weigh in.

The thing is, I really don’t think anyone but Tressel and Smith will know the full story.

By Kade on Apr 28, 2011

As a Michigan grad and fan, I guess what disturbs me the most is seeing a great program lose it’s luster over what is perceived to be lying and cheating. It also hurts a great rivalry which has bound M and OSU fans into a tremendous love hate relationship that unfortunately, will probably take another hit after the Rich Rod practice violations. The biggest shame is that here is a man who people looked up to, respected and admired as a class representative of the school. No more. Sad.

By rick on May 2, 2011

There remains a sad part of this affair that is often overlooked. JT finally succumbed to the pressures inherent in big time college ball, his desire to protect a few players he had elevated in importance to his program took precedent over the remaining 80 to 100 scholarship players at OSU. Many here on this thread want to paint a different picture, want to continue to hold JT in high esteem, find it unfathomable to even mention the word cheat, a father figure to them maybe but college football is just a game with rules. When rules are broken you pay the price rather than taint the institution… I heard a fan say it best recently “the dude must go!”

By Jay Roubini on May 3, 2011

@Jay – I don’t think anyone is trying to say that Tressel didn’t break rules or doesn’t deserve to be punished. But for some rEaSPN, a vast majority of people now believe that the only acceptable punishment is firing. This is what I disagree with.

Also, why can’t college football be like virtually every area of life, where those who have a strong history of doing things the right way are not punished as harshly as those who have engaged in a regular pattern of disobedience?

Not everyone who breaks the speed limit gets a ticket.

By Jason Nafziger on May 3, 2011

@Jeremiah – In a purely metaphorical sense, yes. He’s basically been walking around in a thong for the past ten years.

p.s. You’re welcome.

By Jason Nafziger on May 3, 2011

@ Jason ~while your perception based on loyalty is honorable don’t lose sight that this is a huge program and coaches can be easily replaced. JT is stubborn and will stick around if his suspension is just extended or fine increased but if the NCAA vacates 2010 wins, imposes scholarship reductions and bowl bans then the Columbus crowd will turn quickly and run him out of town. As fans we know the talent OSU can draw almost uncontested in-state is truly unique among big college programs and coaches can be easily replaced. You’ve certainly heard the oft repeat phrase that at Ohio State it’s inherent you are judged on only those few games each year. Bottom line is JT is a so so big game coach and his croney’s like OL coach Bollman have given us a decade of mediocrity. Witness that he can’t even get the #1 HS rated guard in the nation, Boren drafted while Wisky steals Nagy under his nose from Hudson OH and coaches him into the NFL. It’s not like we will miss JT and his crew after they’re gone.
http://ohiostate.247sports.com/Article/Line-Recruiting-Is-Perplexing-24349

By Jay Roubini on May 3, 2011

I went to my first game in the Shoe in 1955. Woody was a friend. I love OSU. Been to many bowl games.

I met two fomer assistants from Troy State. They warned me that Tressel had a very dark side and they said HE WILL NEVER CHANGE.

When he bent the requirements for an incoming freshman who at the first practise called out seniors I was disgusted and predicted it would end horrible. I think PRISON is horrible.

I knew about the car allegations.

A businessman friend told me a FIRST HAND story that he saw with his own eyes about a QB who showed up for a huge bowl game 30 pounds overweight with no film study BECAUSE he was being driven around to locations in a caddy for weeks signing autographs & eating large Pizza’s & 2- 2litre Cokes everyday as a snack.

He had been paid HUGE money into an account under contract to be released after the season was over & he was drafted.

I could write more. The point is he is no Boy Scout including his personal life.

We are lucky much worse is not in the press.

Ugh, how does a coach with his own tattoo’s see HUGE body art on several players and not INSTANTLY take them aside and find out where the money for that came from AND STOP IT???

WOW Disgraceful leadership. I wanted to vomit when I saw his book.

This is not over. More people are going to talk. As Spielman said, “MORE IS GOING TO COME OUT”. He predicted “THE HAMMER” was going to come down hard on OSU.

By Ronnie on May 16, 2011

Sorry Ronnie, but what does Troy State have to do with Tressel?

By Kade on May 16, 2011

@ KADE -okay so Ronnie meant to say Youngstown State big deal, you know how it is… have a few martinis at the corner pub, banter about the latest sports scandel amongst your old buddies swagger back home, fire up the old desktop to visit your favorite Buckeye blog. Ha!
… admit old friends in C-bus now telling me about car allegations also like it was well known… hard for Spielman’s comments not to be foreboding… predictably Tressel hiring of Marsh means he stubbornly intends to drag the school through this. Any thought’s on that?

By Jay Roubini on May 16, 2011

I think the hiring of Marsh is a good thing, for Tressel, Ohio State and The Big Ten.

Why it’s good for Tressel:

Gene Marsh has a ton of experience dealing with the NCAA as he was chair of the infractions committee. This fact obviously only helps Tressel going forward. For what it’s worth, Marsh believes Tressel’s suspension and fines will be enough for the NCAA and they won’t pursue anything extra. But then again, what else is he going to say?

Why it’s good for Ohio State:

Since 2001, no other BCS conference team has a better winning percentage than Ohio State. Jim Tressel is a big, big part of that. Tressel also brought home a National Title for OSU, something that hadn’t happened since 1968. In other words…he brings home a boat load of W’s. Something every single Buckeye fan loves.

Why it’s good for The Big Ten:

Ohio State is the conferences flagship program. Tressel getting fired or forced out only hurts OSU…both short and long term. The bottom line is what Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney cares about most. And without Ohio State pushing for a BCS Bowl game every year, that is a lot of money to be flushed away for the entire conference. Having Tressel stay at OSU is a damn good thing for The Big Ten. You better believe Jim Delaney is working the NCAA to ensure OSU is not punished severely and that includes hammering Tressel.

I’ve tried to stay away from ESPN and other national news outlets pumping up Tressels charges. Even locals like Bruce Hooley have been going out of their way to lambaste JT. I think the media has done an amazing job of painting Tressel as a cheater and a liar.

The man made a mistake. Let’s not let that mistake ruin the 10 years of good that he has done for Ohio State. In 10 years Tressel has delivered 7 Big Ten Titles, 106 wins, 9 wins vs. Michigan, 6 Bowl wins, including 5 BCS Bowl wins and one National Title.

Some of you who are wishing Tressel gone, you may just get your wish. But until then he has every right to fight for his job. A job that he loves and a job that he is damned good at.

By Kade on May 16, 2011

@Kade~thanks for the comments. Those statistics appear remarkable indeed and JT has certainly instilled the desire in fans for doing things the right way. It’s such an fascinating study in loyalties, some might say the head in the sand crowd needs to figure out if they are bigger fans of JT or OSU. The university self reported, Tressel didn’t but I understand what you mean by “the man made a mistake”. I guess you have to ask at what price OSU brass allows the institution to look weak and run by jocks at the expense of academic integrity?

In regard to the statistics, they only tell part of the story, are not things always somewhat more complex? Once again lets just say that at OSU it is inherent you shall be judged on those few games each year when you stand against teams of equal talent, a concept surprisingly misunderstood. Coaching at OSU provides you with unique opportunities not found in any other Big Ten school and only three other places nationally. Likewise, OSU fans expect to benefit from entertainment equal to those advantages. You say JT is a “big big part of the winning percentage” and I say well really not as much as you might think but granted for the most part he’s a standup guy.

By Jay Roubini on May 18, 2011

In Tressels ten years as Buckeye head coach he has amassed a record of 34-15 against top 25 opponents. That is a 69% winning percentage. I could not find data to compare to Cooper’s last ten years, but I’m guessing when it comes to big games…Tressel has Cooper beat. I’d also guess he has Bruce beat as well. Let’s take a look at bowl records:

Tressel: 6-4 (60%)

Cooper: 3-8 (27.3%)

Bruce: 5-3 (62.5%)

Hayes: 5-6 (45.4%)

I’d give the nod to Tressel over Bruce because Tressel won a title and had more significant bowl victories, including OSU’s only bowl win vs. an SEC team….among others.

As for Tressels off the field problem…

Some people are acting like Tressel has not been punished for what he has done. He has been suspended for 5 games and will be fined a quarter of a million dollars. He has also had his reputation dragged through the mud on a national level by talking heads that really don’t know the whole story.

He will most likely see more punishment come his way and probably rightfully so. I don’t believe he should be fired for what he did and neither does his boss Gene Smith. Smith fully supports Tressel. Gee fully supports Tressel. And unless more is linked to Tressel he will keep his job.

By Kade on May 18, 2011

Kade~ the media loves making any news appear scandalous especially when they can tear into something that has even a hint of hypocrisy, can’t deny this story has a bit of those elements.
Regarding your statistics, perhaps if JT had at least a 50% average against Texas, USC or the SEC he’d maintain a legandary status in Buckeye eyes. Can’t help thinking a comparison between the coaches a bit irrelevant but agreed JT was a welcome relief from the Cooper years. The bigger point I was trying to make was of reasons OSU has been one of the most consistent programs in college football regardless of who is coaching.

By Jay Roubini on May 21, 2011

Regardless of his record against USC, UT and the SEC Tressel already does maintain a legendary status among Buckeye fans. Winning a national title will do that.

You are right though, OSU will always be a force to be reckoned with. BUT, coaching does matter more than you think. Look at mighty Michigan under RR. Once proud program was turned into a laughing stock, and a lot of it was because of him.

Do you really think OSU would be the same team if say RR was coaching it or say Luke Fickell?

By Kade on May 23, 2011

Once again it wasn’t so much because of the coach. Let me explain it like this, would RRod become the Michigan coach if it hadn’t been for a complex set of circumstances but none so more importantly than the 2005-07 phenomenal collegiate career of one Pat White aided by his RB Steve Slaton. Much like your so called legendary status of JT owes to a “Holy Buckeye” Krenzel and MoC. RRod failed because he just didn’t have the players, imagine struggling with Tater Tot when you had experienced the career of Pat White handling the ball for 34 victories (ranking 6th all time for a CF starting QB). The point is in college football it’s more about landing a few very talented players, I’m not saying a strong coach isn’t important but JT’s offensive schemes are so bad he practically needs a scrambling QB to bail him out.

By Jay Roubini on May 26, 2011

Rich Rod struggled at UM because he couldn’t bring in academically marginal players like Pat White. That is how he won at WV. He scraped the bottom of the barrel academically and got some pretty good athletes. Can’t do that in the Big Ten. He tried though…look at UM’s APR rating the three years RR was there.

He also had 3 years to craft his spread offense and never found true success. Tate Focier was brought in by Rich Rod. That was HIS player. He decided to start him.

Rich Rod was magically unable to get a single decent recruiting class at one of the most storied programs in the history of college football. That has a lot to do with the coach.

Enter Brady Hoke…UM is now landing a VERY solid class. We shall see if he can hack it on the field.

But you are right, college football has a lot to do with the players on the field. And all of those players are brought in by the head coach. It’s their class essentially.

Oh, and Jim Tressel’s offensive scheme averaged 38.8 points per game last year. And that is better than 2009′s Tim Tebow and offensive genius Urban Meyer could muster in Tebow’s senior year.

For Buckeye fans hoping and praying for Tressel to leave or get fired….be careful what you wish for….you just might get it.

By Kade on May 26, 2011

Pat White is a CFB legend, if you want to talk about academically marginal players start with a certain QB who some of us warned early on was bound to get caught up in something before he graduated. (Please don’t mention his fabricated GPA). I feel sorry for JT but not the two buffoons above him negligent in minding the store even though spending more than about any other program in the nation. Unfortunately it was Stubborn Jim surrounding himself with staff cronies who ultimately may pay the price, a guy who self admitted has too much of an “ego” to change his coaching style. Your right recruiting is the key and my main point, once again inherent advantages at OSU that has kept JT’s program afloat these past years. Michigan’s program was already declining for reasons not yet mentioned in this conversation.

By Jay Roubini on May 26, 2011

The year UM lost Carr, they were a favorite for the National Title. People will have you believe that Carr left the recruiting barren. Not true.

In 2007 UM had the 10th best class overall. In 2006 they had the 9th best overall class. In 2005 they had the 2nd best overall class. RR was STOCKED with talent and saw a TON of players transfer.

RR came in a ruined that program. That is a FACT.

By Kade on May 26, 2011

Your starting to sound like one of those Carr-era players who started treating RRod like crap from day one or Carr himself who didn’t give him one single statement of support over the course of his tenure. I saw the change in Wolverine recruiting start under Carr in 2003 until by 2006 hardly any instate stars appeared in the class save for Bandon Graham. From 2002 -2011 Michigan had only 26.5% recruits from instate compared to 60.3% for OSU, all while Dantonio’s instate recruiting started much higher and remained so compared to previous MSU coaches. Just saying with the Bo era ending it had an influence in local recruiting. RRod inherited few underclassmen that could sustain the early years of his program. Just an opinion there is more to the story than to blame RRod alone.

By Jay Roubini on May 27, 2011

He should of dealt with it from the beginning. suspended the players from the Bowl game. What was he so worried about, he had job security. So what if he’d lost some of the games because his star players weren’t there. I thought long ago when Pryor made his choice to go to Ohio St. It just didn’t seem right. I mean this was a player that had everything handed to him and too big an ego since Jr High at Jeannette. Which is a powerhouse in high schoolfootball in Pa. He should of gone to WVU and Rich Rod would of stayed. Ohio St wouldn’t of had this to deal with this.

By Piper Morn on May 31, 2011

@Piper~you get it Piper…ego…men with great talent can let that fault destroy their accomplishments. Ironic thing is JT once admited publicly he had a problem with it. Woody and Bo didn’t let ego ruin them, they continued to surround themselves with a great supporting cast. Michigan would have been better off with Miles or Harbaugh in their system but Carr’s ego got in the way, similarly JT needed more help but insisted on micro-managing everything-we saw how that turned out.
Funny, and your right wish Pryor would have gone anywhere but OSU. At least RRod did end up with a kid of great character in Denard R. even if he lost his job too soon.

By Jay Roubini on Jun 1, 2011