M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[Jeff Buchanan]

In most case I would agree with you ......

But, tp is a special case. He is wildly immature, not that great of a QB and could benefit from some decent coaching which I have no doubt he received at osu he just needs more of it.

The risk for tp is that he becomes a monumental failure in the NFL (high probability of it given his maturity and skills) .... he's done if that happens.

OTH, if he goes to the CFL, does well, he'll get noticed by NFL scouts and his stock will improve. He's a lot less likely to be under the microscope there, less pressure and he can concentrate on improving himself and his skills instead of spending more money than he has and living beyond his means like he will.

I can see both sides but I can say that if I were his personal adviser, I'd be doing everything I could to keep him out of the NFL.

[Jamie H]

Not many CFL quarterbacks transition into any kind of significant role in the NFL. The last guy to do it was Garcia back in '99.

[Optimus Prime]

Warren Moon, Jeff Garcia, Doug Flutie, the CFL works.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I hear Coach Fickell nailed his presser. Kids re-pledging their commitments. Phone calls coming in from across the country.

Dark days ahead for Michigan

[Jamie H]

LOL! Keep the comedy coming Strangelove.

[WM Wolverine]

Fickell is B10 coach most likely to not be retained.

[geo weidl]

I have read that the Ohio Supreme Court is investigating possible misconduct by the attorney who first tipped Ohio State's football coach to NCAA violations by his players. That sucks!

Seems to be that one of tp's friends, a dennis talbott is what I call a bull shitter.

The way this shaping up the ncaa won't have to do much investigating, they will just have to call the state / federal government for all the info.



Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Ohio State University connection

By Mike Fish
ESPN.com
As gifts go, walking into your young son's birthday party in Columbus, Ohio, with the star quarterback of the Ohio State football team and a linebacker is the stuff of dreams. Getting that quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, at the birthday party two years in a row with a teammate seems almost incomprehensible.
Yet there was Pryor in successive December parties with different teammates for Dennis J. Talbott's son -- sights that left even partygoers wondering about what they were seeing.
"We all thought it was crazy," said one 2010 partygoer who spoke to ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on the condition of anonymity. "It was a Saturday night, and I remember sitting there watching them watch the SEC championship game [on TV]."

Talbott, a Columbus businessman and photographer, had connections to the Buckeyes program in big ways. And although at times he boasted to seemingly anyone and everyone about those connections, what has come to light in the past week has, in recent days, had him minimizing his relationship with the storied football program that has been under NCAA investigation for months.
The 40-year-old who has driven around town in an Ohio State-themed van with the vanity license plate "TPRYOR" shot into headlines this week alongside Pryor as the central figure in a memorabilia arrangement that "Outside the Lines" reported paid the quarterback between $20,000 and $40,000 in 2009, all in violation of NCAA rules. A former friend of Pryor's said the quarterback was paid $500 to $1,000 each time he signed mini football helmets and other gear for Talbott.
Talbott, who grew up and attended high school an hour north of Columbus in Galion, said that he's not an Ohio State booster, hasn't given money to the school and isn't a season-ticket holder. He denied ever paying Pryor to sign memorabilia, telling ESPN, "Your source is wrong. I mean, I would fight it tooth and nail." He said he has arranged autograph signings for former Ohio State players only after they have used up their eligibility, like Thaddeus Gibson and Doug Worthington.
As for his relationship with Pryor, the twice-divorced father with a young child from each marriage has been inconsistent. He told "Outside the Lines" early last week that "I don't really have a relationship with him. I've met him, but as anyone else has met him. I have no more of a relationship with him than you do." A few days later, he informed the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "I have never made it a secret that Terrelle and I have a relationship."
The source who spoke about the memorabilia signings said the Pryor-Talbott relationship was well-known -- that Pryor at one point told him OSU coaches had warned him about Talbott, telling him to "stay away from that dude."
According to this source, Talbott was a regular visitor to Pryor's apartment, where the quarterback, then a sophomore, allegedly signed memorabilia for cash. "Every time, it was all about money," Pryor's former friend said. "I mean, Dennis managed to give him money. It was all about money. That was the thing about Dennis. That's all he was about."
So who is Pryor's pal and the Buckeyes' latest nightmare?

Even before highly recruited Pryor snubbed rival Michigan in favor of the Buckeyes in a prolonged recruiting process that concluded early in March 2008, Talbott had ingratiated himself with Ohio State football players. Talbott, known then to dabble heavily in the memorabilia business, set players up with signing sessions and, in some cases, sources said, paid them while they still competed for Ohio State.

The father of a former Ohio State player said that, as early as 2006, he saw Talbott provide money to an athlete, one now playing in the NFL.
Sources describe Talbott as a major wholesaler of signed Ohio State memorabilia throughout the Buckeye State. Memorabilia signed by college stars can fetch high prices. According to a former colleague, Talbott sold his merchandise through his company Varsity O Memorabilia. Items for sale on eBay included those signed by Pryor.
Talbott's relatives said he also wore the national championship ring of a Buckeyes running back and bragged of having paid the rent for a wide receiver on the 2003 championship team.
Along the way, toting a camera and a media pass, he made introductions through his freelance photography gig, working Saturday afternoon games from the sidelines as D. Jay Talbott -- some of his images appearing on ESPN.com and other national outlets. An ESPN review of Ohio State's ticket pass lists showed that Talbott was provided free tickets by an unidentified player or players for eight games in the 2008 football season.
Yet Pryor proved the big catch, adding another element to a series of findings by various media outlets and investigators that include players receiving free tattoos in exchange for memorabilia and a host of them receiving favorable car deals. The months-long scandal triggered coach Jim Tressel to walk away from a $3.5 million-a-year-job -- with four seasons left on the deal -- and has the football program in the crosshairs of NCAA investigators.
The summer after his freshman season, Pryor was routinely hosted by Talbott, who has managed or owned staffing and employment recruiting businesses in the past decade, for $80-100 rounds of golf at a plush Columbus-area country club, playing three or four times a week at one point, club officials told ESPN. Talbott was a club member despite his own distressed financial situation that has him owing more than $350,000 in unpaid state and federal taxes.

Concerned that Talbott's regular appearances with Pryor and other football players might pose a problem for Ohio State in the eyes of the NCAA, the general manager of the Scioto Reserve Country Club told ESPN that he shared his misgivings in a phone call with a secretary in Tressel's office. Another club employee told ESPN that he alerted an Ohio State assistant coach and was assured it would be dealt with.
"Coach never did call me back," said the general manager, Regan Koivisto. "But I never saw Pryor at the club again."
Shortly after, Talbott was kicked out of the club because of unpaid bills in the "thousands of dollars," Koivisto said.
But the Pryor-Talbott relationship remained strong.
When Talbott's son by his first marriage celebrated a birthday in early December 2009, the father brought along two friends: Pryor and OSU teammate Thaddeus Gibson, one partygoer said. This past December, Pryor made another birthday party appearance -- this time at a Columbus bowling alley -- with teammate DeVier Posey.
When Pryor and the Buckeyes played in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, Talbott made the almost 2,000-mile trek to Arizona. Talbott also found time to schmooze with leadership of the Young Buckeyes of Phoenix Alumni Club. Even though he only briefly attended Ohio State, Talbott was until last week listed as a director on the club's website.
"From a relationship standpoint, it is not a close relationship," Kevin Fox, president of the Phoenix chapter, told ESPN of Talbott. "We created a little relationship based on photographs and stuff that we could post on our website.
"Yeah, he was a photographer and was out here [for the Fiesta Bowl] on a media pass and stuff."
As for the Pryor-Talbott relationship, the quarterback's attorney, Larry James, downplays it, saying: "You have a guy who is a photographer, who has credentials to be on the field. He knows most of the players -- that is it." He has said Pryor never received checks or cash from Talbott.
And now that Pryor has left the program and is free of NCAA rules, don't expect him to share any details or open his bank records. Asked whether Pryor would cooperate further with the NCAA, James said: "Unequivocally, no. It ain't going to happen."
A lot on the line for Ohio State

As revelations about the program keep coming, the onus lies on Ohio State to convince the NCAA that it had the proper institutional safeguards in place, heeded warnings -- in this case, suspicions about Talbott's dealings with athletes -- and did everything in its power to maintain control over its athletics program. That was already a tall order based on an earlier Tressel admission that he didn't pass on information related to players trading memorabilia for tattoos. The potential involvement of Talbott with OSU athletes only further muddies the waters.

Consider: After Ohio State was alerted to suspicions by the country club employees, Talbott still maintained his media pass for the 2009 season. Talbott does acknowledge meeting with athletic department officials last summer, though he told ESPN that it was a routine inquiry and that nothing came of it.
The Plain Dealer has also reported that a March 21, 2007, email was sent to Tressel allegedly warning that Talbott was selling memorabilia signed by underclassmen before their eligibility had expired. That next season, according to school records reviewed by ESPN, Talbott still received free tickets from OSU players for games in the 2008 season -- a pass list maintained and monitored by the athletic department.
Ohio State officials declined comment on Talbott, citing the fact the school is in the midst of an active NCAA investigation. The NCAA does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Any NCAA findings are potentially about more than reputation and obvious effects on the football program such as reduced scholarships. A direct financial fallout is also possible should the football program be hit with major NCAA sanctions. A review of Ohio State's Nike contract alone reveals that the equipment supplier is entitled to terminate its multimillion-dollar deal with the university if the football program is banned from television or postseason appearances for longer than a season and that Nike could reduce the fee paid by 50 percent if the Buckeyes are banned from TV for one season. The contract, which runs through July 2014, provides OSU an annual cash payment of $1.188 million in addition to $2.4-2.5 million in equipment and apparel each year.
Questionable claims, questionable actions, questionable background

The notion of Talbott being ensconced at the center of such a mess isn't a surprise to many family, friends and others who crossed paths with him. Talbott appears to have lived life larger than his bank account allowed, now followed by a trail of legal filings, bad debt and failed marriages. In several instances, they said, he's been caught playing loose with the facts and presenting a pumped-up image of himself.

[geo weidl]

I have read that the ohio supreme court is investigating possible misconduct by the attorney who first tipped saint jim coach to ncaa violations by his players. That sucks!

Seems to be that one of tp's friends, a dennis talbott is what I call a bull shitter.

The way this shaping up the ncaa won't have to do much investigating, they will just have to call the state / federal government for all the info.

Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Ohio State University connection

By Mike Fish
ESPN.com
As gifts go, walking into your young son's birthday party in Columbus, Ohio, with the star quarterback of the Ohio State football team and a linebacker is the stuff of dreams. Getting that quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, at the birthday party two years in a row with a teammate seems almost incomprehensible.
Yet there was Pryor in successive December parties with different teammates for Dennis J. Talbott's son -- sights that left even partygoers wondering about what they were seeing.
"We all thought it was crazy," said one 2010 partygoer who spoke to ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on the condition of anonymity. "It was a Saturday night, and I remember sitting there watching them watch the SEC championship game [on TV]."

Talbott, a Columbus businessman and photographer, had connections to the Buckeyes program in big ways. And although at times he boasted to seemingly anyone and everyone about those connections, what has come to light in the past week has, in recent days, had him minimizing his relationship with the storied football program that has been under NCAA investigation for months.
The 40-year-old who has driven around town in an Ohio State-themed van with the vanity license plate "TPRYOR" shot into headlines this week alongside Pryor as the central figure in a memorabilia arrangement that "Outside the Lines" reported paid the quarterback between $20,000 and $40,000 in 2009, all in violation of NCAA rules. A former friend of Pryor's said the quarterback was paid $500 to $1,000 each time he signed mini football helmets and other gear for Talbott.
Talbott, who grew up and attended high school an hour north of Columbus in Galion, said that he's not an Ohio State booster, hasn't given money to the school and isn't a season-ticket holder. He denied ever paying Pryor to sign memorabilia, telling ESPN, "Your source is wrong. I mean, I would fight it tooth and nail." He said he has arranged autograph signings for former Ohio State players only after they have used up their eligibility, like Thaddeus Gibson and Doug Worthington.
As for his relationship with Pryor, the twice-divorced father with a young child from each marriage has been inconsistent. He told "Outside the Lines" early last week that "I don't really have a relationship with him. I've met him, but as anyone else has met him. I have no more of a relationship with him than you do." A few days later, he informed the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "I have never made it a secret that Terrelle and I have a relationship."
The source who spoke about the memorabilia signings said the Pryor-Talbott relationship was well-known -- that Pryor at one point told him OSU coaches had warned him about Talbott, telling him to "stay away from that dude."
According to this source, Talbott was a regular visitor to Pryor's apartment, where the quarterback, then a sophomore, allegedly signed memorabilia for cash. "Every time, it was all about money," Pryor's former friend said. "I mean, Dennis managed to give him money. It was all about money. That was the thing about Dennis. That's all he was about."
So who is Pryor's pal and the Buckeyes' latest nightmare?

Even before highly recruited Pryor snubbed rival Michigan in favor of the Buckeyes in a prolonged recruiting process that concluded early in March 2008, Talbott had ingratiated himself with Ohio State football players. Talbott, known then to dabble heavily in the memorabilia business, set players up with signing sessions and, in some cases, sources said, paid them while they still competed for Ohio State.

The father of a former Ohio State player said that, as early as 2006, he saw Talbott provide money to an athlete, one now playing in the NFL.
Sources describe Talbott as a major wholesaler of signed Ohio State memorabilia throughout the Buckeye State. Memorabilia signed by college stars can fetch high prices. According to a former colleague, Talbott sold his merchandise through his company Varsity O Memorabilia. Items for sale on eBay included those signed by Pryor.
Talbott's relatives said he also wore the national championship ring of a Buckeyes running back and bragged of having paid the rent for a wide receiver on the 2003 championship team.
Along the way, toting a camera and a media pass, he made introductions through his freelance photography gig, working Saturday afternoon games from the sidelines as D. Jay Talbott -- some of his images appearing on ESPN.com and other national outlets. An ESPN review of Ohio State's ticket pass lists showed that Talbott was provided free tickets by an unidentified player or players for eight games in the 2008 football season.
Yet Pryor proved the big catch, adding another element to a series of findings by various media outlets and investigators that include players receiving free tattoos in exchange for memorabilia and a host of them receiving favorable car deals. The months-long scandal triggered coach Jim Tressel to walk away from a $3.5 million-a-year-job -- with four seasons left on the deal -- and has the football program in the crosshairs of NCAA investigators.
The summer after his freshman season, Pryor was routinely hosted by Talbott, who has managed or owned staffing and employment recruiting businesses in the past decade, for $80-100 rounds of golf at a plush Columbus-area country club, playing three or four times a week at one point, club officials told ESPN. Talbott was a club member despite his own distressed financial situation that has him owing more than $350,000 in unpaid state and federal taxes.

Concerned that Talbott's regular appearances with Pryor and other football players might pose a problem for Ohio State in the eyes of the NCAA, the general manager of the Scioto Reserve Country Club told ESPN that he shared his misgivings in a phone call with a secretary in Tressel's office. Another club employee told ESPN that he alerted an Ohio State assistant coach and was assured it would be dealt with.
"Coach never did call me back," said the general manager, Regan Koivisto. "But I never saw Pryor at the club again."
Shortly after, Talbott was kicked out of the club because of unpaid bills in the "thousands of dollars," Koivisto said.
But the Pryor-Talbott relationship remained strong.
When Talbott's son by his first marriage celebrated a birthday in early December 2009, the father brought along two friends: Pryor and OSU teammate Thaddeus Gibson, one partygoer said. This past December, Pryor made another birthday party appearance -- this time at a Columbus bowling alley -- with teammate DeVier Posey.
When Pryor and the Buckeyes played in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, Talbott made the almost 2,000-mile trek to Arizona. Talbott also found time to schmooze with leadership of the Young Buckeyes of Phoenix Alumni Club. Even though he only briefly attended Ohio State, Talbott was until last week listed as a director on the club's website.
"From a relationship standpoint, it is not a close relationship," Kevin Fox, president of the Phoenix chapter, told ESPN of Talbott. "We created a little relationship based on photographs and stuff that we could post on our website.
"Yeah, he was a photographer and was out here [for the Fiesta Bowl] on a media pass and stuff."
As for the Pryor-Talbott relationship, the quarterback's attorney, Larry James, downplays it, saying: "You have a guy who is a photographer, who has credentials to be on the field. He knows most of the players -- that is it." He has said Pryor never received checks or cash from Talbott.
And now that Pryor has left the program and is free of NCAA rules, don't expect him to share any details or open his bank records. Asked whether Pryor would cooperate further with the NCAA, James said: "Unequivocally, no. It ain't going to happen."
A lot on the line for Ohio State

As revelations about the program keep coming, the onus lies on Ohio State to convince the NCAA that it had the proper institutional safeguards in place, heeded warnings -- in this case, suspicions about Talbott's dealings with athletes -- and did everything in its power to maintain control over its athletics program. That was already a tall order based on an earlier Tressel admission that he didn't pass on information related to players trading memorabilia for tattoos. The potential involvement of Talbott with OSU athletes only further muddies the waters.

Consider: After Ohio State was alerted to suspicions by the country club employees, Talbott still maintained his media pass for the 2009 season. Talbott does acknowledge meeting with athletic department officials last summer, though he told ESPN that it was a routine inquiry and that nothing came of it.
The Plain Dealer has also reported that a March 21, 2007, email was sent to Tressel allegedly warning that Talbott was selling memorabilia signed by underclassmen before their eligibility had expired. That next season, according to school records reviewed by ESPN, Talbott still received free tickets from OSU players for games in the 2008 season -- a pass list maintained and monitored by the athletic department.
Ohio State officials declined comment on Talbott, citing the fact the school is in the midst of an active NCAA investigation. The NCAA does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Any NCAA findings are potentially about more than reputation and obvious effects on the football program such as reduced scholarships. A direct financial fallout is also possible should the football program be hit with major NCAA sanctions. A review of Ohio State's Nike contract alone reveals that the equipment supplier is entitled to terminate its multimillion-dollar deal with the university if the football program is banned from television or postseason appearances for longer than a season and that Nike could reduce the fee paid by 50 percent if the Buckeyes are banned from TV for one season. The contract, which runs through July 2014, provides OSU an annual cash payment of $1.188 million in addition to $2.4-2.5 million in equipment and apparel each year.
Questionable claims, questionable actions, questionable background

The notion of Talbott being ensconced at the center of such a mess isn't a surprise to many family, friends and others who crossed paths with him. Talbott appears to have lived life larger than his bank account allowed, now followed by a trail of legal filings, bad debt and failed marriages. In several instances, they said, he's been caught playing loose with the facts and presenting a pumped-up image of himself.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I hear Coach Fickell nailed his presser. Kids re-pledging their commitments. Phone calls coming in from across the country. Dark days ahead for Michigan

This reminds me of the happy horse shit from M fans over the Rodriguez hire in 2007.

Years later, the shoe is on the other foot.

Dunn, Kalis rumored to be seriously on the fence waiting to see how hard the hammer falls come August.

Mike Farrell reporting Michigan/Hoke reasserting themselves on the recruiting trail in B10 country.

osu is toast.

Life is good.

[WM Wolverine]

OSU verbals outside of Ohio:











.













Yes, there is none.

[geo weidl]

Tressel skipped NCAA rules seminar this weekend (but RR attends, WTF?)

Posted by Chip Patterson

Part of Ohio State's school-imposed punishment for former head coach Jim Tressel was to attend an NCAA rules seminar this weekend in Tampa. The punishment was issued well before recent revelations regarding Tressel and former Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor, when both thought there was a chance of taking the field in 2011.

But after Tressel's resignation and Pryor's hasty exit, the former head coach opted to skip the rules seminar this weekend. Gene Marsh, Tressel's attorney for the upcoming meeting with the NCAA Committee on Infractions, told The Columbus Dispatch he understood why Tressel did not attend the seminar. Marsh pointed out that Tressel, who has done no interviews since his resignation, would likely draw unnecessary media attention to the event - which was meant for much more than Ohio State.

Also attending the seminar were Connecticut men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun and former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez, among others. Because of the resignation, Tressel will not be obligated to attend Ohio State's meeting with the Committee on Infractions on Aug. 12. Marsh also told the Dispatch that he is unsure if Tressel will appear at the meeting.

Should the COI hold their meeting without Tressel, it could have an effect on where the blame is placed as the committee sorts through the details of the violations. Some have suggested that Tressel should be present in order to have a chance to defend himself, others believe that less emphasis on the former coach will lead to more blame placed on the university. One thing is for sure, if Tressel skips the COI meeting as well there will be a lot less questions answered and more speculation into the shady ongoings with the football program in Columbus.

[lineygoblue]

(but RR attends, WTF?)

In probably one of the top five ironies of all time, Rich Rodriguez will coach again, and Tressel will not. Thus, Rodriguez likely wants to stay up to date on the rules, and in addition, needs to make a good impression on future employers.

Tressel is trying to find a Salvation Army outlet that will accept all those sweater vests.... along with his trophies from winning those Dan Quayle look-alike contests...

[Ghengis Jon]

In the news...

Fickell was selected to fill in as head coach when Tressel was suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for knowing players were accepting cash and discounted tattoos in exchange for memorabilia from a local tattoo-parlor owner but failing to notify his superiors...

Athletic director Gene Smith spoke briefly before introducing Fickell. “I want to share with you why for me it was pretty easy to sit down with him and ask him to take on this leadership role,” Smith said... “We’re very, very pleased he’s going to step into this role.”

Smith also announced that Fickell’s two-year contract would be modified to pay him $775,000 a year, in addition to some bonuses. Tressel was paid an estimated $3.5 million per season.


Guess they need to free up some cash to pay players.

[SeanB]

Fickell looked nervous.

[*JD*]

Didn't say TP was cleared...just the guys who were named in the SI article that weren't part of the original Tat 5.

This is unconfirmed but coming from credible individuals

We've found said individuals: