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

[Jamie H]

I It's easier to chalk up 9/11 as a conspiracy than it is to argue that OSU is not a dirty cheating program.

LOL! Great line Hannibal.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Dennis Talbott has multiple sources. Tat hookups has multiple sources. Academic fraud had multiple sources. The dozens of players and their families who have bought vehicles through a shady Columbus dealer are public record. Jim Tressel's hooking up players with the shady boosters in question has multiple sources. The "loaner" vehicles has public records. Tressel's lies about the Tat 5 are public record. OSU's non-punishment of Tressel is public record.

It's not possible to ignore this massive amount of evidence without just being willfully ignorant, which many Buckeye fans are. Even Tony Gerdeman at o-zone (IMHO the best non-Michigan blogger who writes about Michigan) has his head in the clouds. Has anyone ever compiled a list of people who have to be lying or greatly exaggerating in order to OSU to be anything other than a dirty program? Has anyone compiled a list of all of the shady behavior that has to be explained? It's easier to chalk up 9/11 as a conspiracy than it is to argue that OSU is not a dirty cheating program.

Since every accusation you've cited is easily demonstrable and part of the public fact and records, could you please cite articles and documents showing that OSU is guilty of academic fraud? It should be easy for you to do since it's so blatantly obvious it's going and known you all across the land. I bet you'll even be able to it without resorting to tired ESPN.com articles from 2003-2004 citing Sammy Maldonado as an example.

Could you also provide the evidence thus far that shows Tressel "hooking players up" with "shady boosters". I'm guessing you're referring to Youngstown State circa 1992 which has jack shit to do with Ohio State and has been public knowledge for 15 years. It's interesting you say you were slow to believe Tressel was dirty but will resort to citing a 15-year-old report as something that "changed your mind" about him.

As for Tony Gerdeman, he's probably a bit of a homer, just as you are a homer lusting for any OSU IS GOING TO GET SLAMMED news. Gerdeman is probably going to hope for the best while you, as a depressed, near-suicidal Michigan fan, will hope for the worst. It's the first time you've had hope of regaining the initiative from OSU in 7 years. It's natural. I get it.

[Roaring20]

For tO$U fans who think Tressel fell on a sword for someone think again....

March 2, 2002: Ohio State tight end Redgie Arden is arrested for drunk driving. He spends three days in jail and is suspended from spring practices. Tressel reinstates him before the season and he plays in 11 games in 2002.

April 27, 2002: Ohio State linebacker Marco Cooper is arrested for felony drug abuse and carrying a concealed weapon. In November, he pleads out and is put on probation.

July 26, 2002: Ohio State fullback Branden Joe is discovered asleep in his car on a highway ramp near Ohio State's campus. He refuses a breathalyzer test, and is suspended for three weeks of preseason camp, along with the first game of the 2002 season.

August 24, 2002: Ohio State wide receiver Chris Vance is arrested for underage drinking. He is held out of the first two games, and goes on to be Ohio State's 4th leading receiver in the 2002 season.

October 13, 2002: Ohio State linebacker Fred Pagac, Jr. is arrested for persistant disorderly conduct. Arrested at 3:45 AM, police say he was intoxicated and had a role in a fight involving two women, and did not stop fighting when ordered by police. He is suspended for one game, and is allowed to play in the National Championship Game against Miami in January.

[Roaring20]

April, 2003: Maurice Clarett files a report stating that a car he borrowed from a local dealership was broken into and thousands of dollars in cash, CDs, stereo equipment, and clothing was stolen. Clarett calls the police from a phone in Jim Tressel's office. He is later charged with lying about the value of the items and falsification of a police report. He pleads guilty, is ordered to pay a fine, and does no jail time.

May, 2003: Ohio State cornerback/receiver Chris Gamble and nine other players are ruled ineligible for signing autographs at a convention, during which they took an hourly salary.

June, 2003: Ohio State tight end Redgie Arden pleads innocent to his second drunk driving charge in 15 months.



Fall, 2003: The NCAA begins an investigation at Ohio State amid allegations of academic fraud and ineligibility. The investigation revolves around Maurice Clarett, and a teacher admits that Clarett received preferential treatment. The teacher is fired, and Clarett is found to be in violation of 14 conduct bylaws, two violations of receiving extra benefits because he is an athlete. The investigation also discovers that the Monte Carlo Clarett is driving was a loaner from a used-car lot. To make things worse, and forcing Ohio State's hand, is the fact that Clarett was regularly receiving benefits from Youngstown acquaintance Bobby Dellimuti. Dellimuti provided Clarett with 500 dollars in cash, and paid for thousands of dollars worth in cell phone bills for Clarett. Ohio State suspends him for the entire 2003 season. It is later revealed that Jim Tressel knew Dellimuti and knew who he was before Clarett's freshman season in 2002.

[Roaring20]

October 27, 2003: Ohio State tight end Louis Irizarry is arrested on three counts of first-degree misdemeanor assault. He is suspended two days later, and is found guilty of one count of assault, one count of negligent assault, and one count of disorderly conduct. He is put on probation, and is listed as second on the depth chart at tight end on Ohio State's spring 2004 roster.

November 16, 2003: Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes and quarterback Troy Smith are arrested six days before the Michigan game on charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct after a fight on campus in the early morning hours following Ohio State's win over Purdue. Holmes is held out of the starting lineup against Michigan, but plays the majority of the game and catches two touchdowns.

April, 2004: Ohio State fullback Branden Joe is cited for a misdemeanor open container violation, his second alcohol-related offense.

May 1, 2004: Ohio State tight end Louis Irizarry and cornerback Ira Guilford are arrested and charged with robbery after a student is assaulted and his wallet is stolen at 3 AM. They both plead innocent, and Guilford is released on bond, while Irizarry is held until the determination can be made whether or not he violated his probation from his October 2003 conviction.

[Roaring20]

October 23, 2004: Ohio State running back Lydell Ross is arrested for attempting to pass fake money to a woman at a gentlemen's club.

November 9, 2004: Maurice Clarett blows the whistle on Ohio State, attempting to expose all of the alleged corruption going on at his former school. He claims he "took the fall" during the 2003 investigation into his academics at Ohio State, and is now trying to clear his name. Clarett says that Jim Tressel arranged for Clarett to have access to several loaner vehicles, and that Tressel's brother Dick set up lucrative jobs that Clarett did not have to show up to. He also says that members of Tressel's staff introduced Clarett to boosters who provided him with cash benefits based on his performance on the field. Clarett says he would have been ineligible for the 2002 season, but that the Ohio State coaching staff set him up with an academic advisor whose only goal was to keep him eligible. He claims the academic advisor put him in Independent Study courses with hand-picked teachers who would pass him regardless of attendance. His allegations are corroborated by former Ohio State linebacker Marco Cooper. Cooper, who was kicked off the team because of multiple drug-related arrests, says he too was set up with fraudulent jobs and was provided with cars in exchange for signed memorabilia. Clarett says he is blowing the whistle on Ohio State because he feels they "blackballed" him from the university after suspending him for the 2003 season.

[Roaring20]

December 20, 2004: Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith is suspended for the Alamo Bowl and the 2005 season opener for accepting $500 from a booster.

December 21, 2004: Ohio State wide receiver Albert Dukes is arrested on two felony counts of second-degree lewd and lascivious conduct involving a 12 year old girl. Tressel allows Dukes to travel with the team to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, and the charges are later dropped when the parents refuse to let their daughter testify in court.

February 16, 2005: The NCAA reprimands Ohio State offensive line coach Jim Bollman for trying to set up a recruit with a car, a loan, and a tutor. Jim Tressel is also reprimanded because Bollman is his subordinate.

May 11, 2005: Ohio State kicker Jonathan Skeete is arrested for drug trafficking. He is suspended.

May 19, 2005: Ohio State running back Erik Haw is cited by university police for smoking marijuana outside a dorm

[Roaring20]

July 20, 2005: Ohio State athletic officials investigate a possible second NCAA rules violation by quarterback Troy Smith. Smith attended a quarterbacks camp run by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, but because Ohio State runs on quarters instead of semesters, Smith may have missed class to attend, which would be an NCAA violation. Jim Tressel declines comment, saying the university's compliance department has not finished its inquiry.

December 6, 2005: Police say that Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk and center Nick Mangold reported a burglary at their apartment following their win over Michigan. According to the police report, the robbery took place sometime between 6:00 PM on November 22 and 8:00 PM on November 23rd. Hawk and Mangold tell police that $3000 in cash, $1425 in movies, two laptop computers, a $500 Gucci watch, and $750 worth of PlayStation and X-Box equipment was stolen. Police were not told about the crime until November 28.

[Roaring20]

March 7, 2006: Former Ohio State kicker Jonathan Skeete returns to the team as a walk-on following his arrest on drug trafficking charges in May 2005. He was convicted in October 2005, and despite his status as a convicted felon, he is readmitted to the university and reinstated to the football team.

April 2, 2006: Ohio State offensive lineman Alex Boone is arrested after driving under the influence and being involved in a two-vehicle crash. Jim Tressel says that Boone will not be suspended for any practices or games.

[Roaring20]

April 11, 2008: Ohio State defensive backs Eugene Clifford, Jamario O'Neal, and Donald Washington are held out of practice but not officially suspended. It is rumored that all three players failed drug tests.

July 7, 2008: Ohio State defensive back Eugene Clifford's career at OSU ends, as he is arrested again, this time for assault after allegedly punching two men in the face. He transfers to Tennessee State later in the month.

July 26, 2008: Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington is arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He misses no game action in the 2008 season.

June 11, 2009: Ohio State running back recruit Jaamal Berry is arrested for felony possession of marijuana in Miami. He pleas down and agrees to take a six-month drug program online in exchange for having the charges dropped. He is allowed to enroll at Ohio State and join the football team without issue.

[Roaring20]

September 9, 2009: It is discovered that violations were committed during Ohio State's recruitment of quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor's official visit to Ohio State for the game against Wisconsin in 2007 came with a discounted hotel rate. The other violation involves former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith working at an Ohio State football camp in the summer of 2007, during which time Smith encourages Pryor to pick Ohio State. As a result of the hotel violation, Pryor is quietly ruled ineligible in August 2009 until he repays $158. Ohio State files a request to the NCAA to reinstate Pryor on August 21, and he regains his eligibility in time for the season opener on August 30.

April 2, 2010, 2:32 PM: Jim Tressel receives an email from Chris Cicero, a Columbus attorney. Cicero informs Tressel that several players have been selling signed items to tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife, who is under heavy investigation from the authorities on suspicion of drug trafficking. Rife informs Tressel of all of this, and details Rife's criminal history.

[Roaring20]

April 2, 2010, 6:32 PM: Tressel responds to Cicero's email, telling him he will "get on it ASAP."

April 16, 2010, 9:43 AM: Cicero emails Tressel again, giving details of cleats, jerseys, Big Ten championship rings and a national championship ring being sold.

April 16, 2010, 11:20 AM: Tressel responds to Cicero once more: "I hear you!! It is unbelievable!! Thanks for your help keep me posted as to what I need to do if anything. I will keep pounding these kids hoping they grow up. jt"

April 16, 2010, 2:26 PM: Cicero recommends that Tressel ban his players from going to the tattoo parlor and having any contact with Rife. He asks that Tressel keep their email communication private.

June 1, 2010, 7:33 AM: Tressel emails Cicero, informing him that the team will be receiving their 2009 Big Ten Championship rings, and asks if there are anymore names that Cicero can give him.

June 1, 2010, 4:09 PM: Cicero tells Tressel he has no new names, but that the names he gave him previously "are still good."

[Roaring20]

June 6, 2010, 9:15 PM: Five days later, Tressel thanks Cicero in what is their last known communication.

September 13, 2010: Jim Tressel signs an NCAA certificate of compliance, which indicates that he has reported any knowledge of any violations.

December 7, 2010: Authorities contact Ohio State, notifying them that they have raided Rife's tattoo parlor, and discovered several Ohio State items. The authorities, obviously unaware of any NCAA implications, are simply inquiring as to whether or not the items may have been stolen. The Ohio State athletic department is notified of this the next day.

[Roaring20]

December 16, 2010: Ohio State interviews the six players implicated: quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Daniel Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive tackle Mike Adams, defensive end Solomon Thomas, and linebacker Jordan Whiting.

December 17, 2010: Ohio State informs the Big Ten and the NCAA that they are preparing to self-report violations.

December 19, 2010: Ohio State releases its report, and declares the six players ineligible.

December 21, 2010: The NCAA contacts the six players, asking for additional information. Ohio State provides this information the next day.

[Roaring20]

December 23, 2010: Jim Tressel and Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith hold a press conference, announcing the findings and sanctions.

January 13, 2011: Ohio State's office of legal affairs stumble upon Tressel's email correspondence with Chris Cicero. They conduct a search of the email accounts of all members of the football staff, and discover that no one else knew of the players' contact with Edward Rife before December 2010.

January 16, 2011: Jim Tressel is questioned by Ohio State officials, and he acknowledges his contact with Chris Cicero.