Jim Tressel should resign or be fired.

Before everyone goes completely nuts on me because of the title of this particular post please wait until I finish. I love Coach Tressel. I KNOW he is the best coach I will ever see at OSU and he is an even better man. I honestly believe he just made a mistake and one that he didn’t do to win more games. I don’t know what he was thinking when he didn’t forward the emails to the correct people. I won’t pretend to understand how hard it must be to do what he does for a living. I will say this though: I am a father of 2 children and I stress to them every chance I get that if they do something wrong own up to it and admit what they did. Never try to cover it up with a lie and then compound it with more lies. There is nothing that makes me more angry then when I know someone is telling me a blatant lie.

So now as more and more comes out about what actually has happened over the last year it is clear to even the biggest supporter of Coach Tressel that he has lied over and over and over. Even if some of the accusations are circumstantial at best i.e. the FBI special agent he called a few days after hearing the FBI had info on OSU players hardware. Any person with 2 ounces of common sense will put together that Tressel wasn’t calling to get a friend a job. Even if you believe Tressel was acting in the players best interest or even if you believe he was just keeping the lawyers emails confidential. It is clearer now he was doing none of that. He was telling everyone except the people he should have been telling. If he had done so the players would have missed maybe 4 games and had a party with AJ Greene and Marcel Darius and all of the UNC Tarheels team during the pre-season. Instead he made the decision to not do his job. He then made the decision to lie about it in September when he signed the no compliance issues paper. Then he made us all feel he was shocked and disappointed in his players decisions to sell the gear when it became public. Then he led us to believe he was doing the moral thing by making the 5 guys promise to come back next year in order to play in the Sugar Bowl. All the while he tucked his own morals to bed and forgot to wake them up for nearly a year. At the news conference and subsequent pressers since he had me convinced he was who I thought he was: an upstanding honest guy who would do anything for his players and his school. To the point where I actually believed he might be taking one for the team and protecting his bosses and the University.

Now comes today’s news that the NCAA is looking to hammer Tressel and maybe not so much OSU as a whole. Will OSU suffer because of what he did? Of course. Will OSU suffer because of the 5 guys who broke the rules? Of course they will. It would have been so much easier if they would have gone Pro and Tressel would have resigned after the Sugar Bowl. Instead though they stuck around to go through the rough times together with the school and team they love. I commend them for doing this. It is refreshing to know Tressel is no Pete Carroll.

Having said that though there is nothing left for Tressel to do at OSU. He has won everything he possibly could except for the B1G COY award which angers me to no end :). He has his legacy that will always be there for OSU fans and eventually for CFB fans over time. I don’t think anyone thinks Tressel would have coached past 2014 when his contract ends as he has all but stated that was his last season he wanted to coach. So now the NCAA wants Tressel’s head on a platter for every other coach in the NCAA to see. They want to make an example out of him even though they know it wont stop this stuff from happening at every school like it currently is. Jim Tressel is not bigger than OSU and he won’t be able to save face now that the evidence keeps piling up pointing to the multitude of lies on top of lies.

So I say now is the time for him to retire and try and save his reputation and save OSU from harsher penalties then are deserved in this case just so the NCAA can hold up his head as an example to all other coaches. If it were my children who made up this many lies and covered up what they knowingly did wrong I would punish them more harshly then if they just came clean when they got caught to begin with.

This is a sad day for me as I can no longer justify Jim Tressel being the coach of OSU. I want to crawl into my bed and cry myself to sleep tonight as I have done the unthinkable: called for my football hero to step away from the game for the betterment of everyone.

I hope some of you can convince me I am wrong. I just need a really good valid point of view from someone to talk me off this ledge. I have been trying to come up with a reason why he shouldn’t be fired or resign and can’t come up with any that doesn’t sound biased and stupid.

Now you may respond to my thread with the vitriol that normally accompanies my posts.

Comments

  1. @ 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..

  2. 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.

  3. @Kade- I doubt Gene Smith knows the “whole” story still……

  4. 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.

  5. Jay Roubini says

    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!”

  6. Jason Nafziger says

    @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.

  7. @Jason so what I am hearing from you is that maybe if Coach Tressel shows some skin and flirts with the NCAA compliance panel he might just get a warning….. SWEET

  8. Jason Nafziger says

    @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.

  9. hahahaha I had already pictured it before I ever read your P.S. you’re welcome statement….. thanks for the horrific visual.

  10. Jay Roubini says

    @ 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

  11. 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.

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

  13. Jay Roubini says

    @ 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?

  14. 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.

  15. Jay Roubini says

    @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.

  16. 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.

  17. Jay Roubini says

    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.

  18. 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?

  19. Jay Roubini says

    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.

  20. 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.

  21. Jay Roubini says

    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.

  22. 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.

  23. Jay Roubini says

    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.

  24. Piper Morn says

    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.

  25. Jay Roubini says

    @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.

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