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

[Rocky Bleier]

Funny how osu fans said Rodriguez was so dirty, but they deny the litany of evidence against Tressel because he wears a red sweater vest and presents the veneer of a gentleman. Youngstown St. to Mo Clarrett to the present speaks for itself. The mask has been lifted.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I don't think it was Tressel that "brokered the deal" to get OSU in the Sugar Bowl. As I recall Jim Delaney, ABC/ESPN, among others played a role.

Not enough time to address everyone's concerns right now but will say again that I don't think it's irrelevant which rule Tressel lied about. I do agree the players shouldn't be able to sell memorabilia so long as we're clinging to the scholar-athlete mythos that guides college athletics. But it's at least reasonable to argue that the players have a right to sell their own possessions.

To say that it doesn't matter what he lied about is akin to saying a rule is a rule, and no matter which one it was, they're all equally wrong. I doubt many of you would agree that Rich Rod letting practice extend 15 minutes over the permitted time is just as bad a violation as Reggie Bush or (theoretically) Cam Newton being bought and sold. Of course you need to take the actual rule into consideration.

[hack]

I think what they're taking in to consideration is the concealment. It's been said time and again that the bigger crime to this enforcement regime is the coverup.

That said: I don't think it was Tressel that "brokered the deal" to get OSU in the Sugar Bowl. As I recall Jim Delaney, ABC/ESPN, among others played a role. -- the participation of Delaney and television executives doesn't preclude that of Tressell. Are you saying he wasn't involved?

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think what they're taking in to consideration is the concealment. It's been said time and again that the bigger crime to this enforcement regime is the coverup.

That said: I don't think it was Tressel that "brokered the deal" to get OSU in the Sugar Bowl. As I recall Jim Delaney, ABC/ESPN, among others played a role. -- the participation of Delaney and television executives doesn't preclude that of Tressell. Are you saying he wasn't involved?

If you think Jim Tressel was leading the cause to get OSU into the bowl game and not the tv networks or the Big Ten front office, you are nuts

[Dr. Strangelove]

And of course the concealment is worse than the actual crime here. i have never once said it isn't. What I've said is what he was was concealing DOES matter, despite the enraged protests of the Michigan faithful. Covering up a car dealership giving your players free cadilllacs is worse than covering up the free pizza a booster gave the team after a win. You lied in both instances, but it's ridiculous to not even consider what was being covered up.

[Jamie H]

To say that it doesn't matter what he lied about is akin to saying a rule is a rule, and no matter which one it was, they're all equally wrong. I doubt many of you would agree that Rich Rod letting practice extend 15 minutes over the permitted time is just as bad a violation as Reggie Bush or (theoretically) Cam Newton being bought and sold. Of course you need to take the actual rule into consideration.

When you are talking about intentionally concealing a rule violation from the NCAA that directly affects player eligibility? Sorry, but a rule IS a rule, and it doesn't matter what rule you are concealing. If you are knowingly concealing it from the NCAA in order to avoid sanctions, it 100% wrong no matter what the rule is. Anytime you conceal a violation that would likely result in players on your team being ineligible, it is a MAJOR MAJOR violation, regardless of whether people think the rule in question is silly or not. The fact that you would even attempt to argue differently is somewhat mind-boggling, except for the fact that we already know OSU fans believe cheating is ok as long as they can call themselves winners.

Rodriguez never overtly concealed anything from the NCAA. Comparing Tressel's situation to his is a joke. The only way the situations would be equivalent is if Rodriguez had been found to have gone back and forged the records to show that the extra practice time never happened--i.e. had LIED to the NCAA.

[Hannibal]

The nature of what was covered up matters much less when you have a system that relies almost entirely on self-reporting. Preserving the integrity of the system is paramount.

And, as I have said earlier, the chances that this is Tressel's first major offense are virtually nil. The guy has dodged the smoke pouring out of the Youngstown State and OSU programs for a long time now. Then after he got caught, he lied to the public about why he did it. Not to mention, the institution's response was laughably inadequate and it indicates that the university has no respect for or desire to follow the rules. If you guys can get Tressel to take 100% of the blame and just vacate one season, I think that you should consider yourselves lucky.

[geo weidl]

--i.e. had LIED to the NCAA.

You forget Jamie one person did lie and he was fired!

[Tony G]

Tressel, Buckeyes at crossroads

By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
More Trouble For Tressel
NCAA accuses Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel of lying to hide violations

Jim Tressel is a big deal.

Big salary. Big reputation. Big winning percentage (.828 at Ohio State, second-best in Big Ten history for coaches with 10 or more years in the league, trailing only Fielding H. Yost).

He is not, however, bigger than Ohio State. Which is why the school should terminate its star football coach before it responds in the coming months to the NCAA notice of allegations that was made public Monday.

Greg Bartram/US PresswireJim Tressel and Ohio State will face the NCAA's committee on infractions Aug. 12.

In that document, the NCAA charged Tressel with "potential major violations" related to his handling of what could go down as the most costly body art in college football history. The free tattoos and sold football memorabilia of five Buckeyes launched an investigation that could wind up bringing down The Vest.

And The Vest should go down.

Ohio State is stripped to its soul, and now we're going to see what the school is made of. Does it cherish its reputation more than its football prowess, or not?

To put it politely, The Ohio State University has a rather high opinion of itself. Buckeye Nation has always believed it stood for more than the average football factory. Its fans have long disdained the scofflaw status of the Southeastern Conference, even as SEC teams have taken turns beating the Buckeyes in big games over the years.

Now we'll find out what matters most.

The only bigger coach than Tressel in Ohio State history was Woody Hayes, winner of AP national championships in 1954 and '68 and the all-time leader in Big Ten conference victories with 152. Yet when Hayes shamed the university by punching Clemson's Charlie Bauman in the 1978 Gator Bowl, igniting a bench-clearing brawl, the school fired him the next day.

If Ohio State could fire its greatest football icon, it can fire Tressel.

Of course, Hayes' assault of Bauman was nationally televised; there was no mistaking or misunderstanding what occurred. It could not be taken out of context, glossed over or ascribed to any plot to take down the coach. A legend punched his way out of a job on live TV, leaving his employer no choice as far as how to act.

The Tressel transgressions carry no such visual payload, but that doesn't make them tolerable. The fact is, a coach who portrays and markets himself as something more than a coach -- a High-Character Leader of Men -- lied about what he knew, when he knew it and who he told about it.
In a clear attempt at damage control, as opposed to getting to the bottom of things, Tressel didn't consult with athletic director Gene Smith or the school's compliance department when he found out about Tattoogate. Instead, Tressel took the information to a guy named Ted Sarniak, a businessman from Terrelle Pryor's hometown who has a relationship (of some sort) with the quarterback. He also consulted with the lawyer who tipped him off to the federal investigation (former Buckeye walk-on Christopher Cicero), and with a member of the FBI.

When Ohio State announced its suspensions of the involved players in December, Tressel willingly played the part of a bewildered coach who was caught off guard by the whole thing. As emails were released in the ensuing months, it became obvious that wasn't the case.

At that time, Tressel said he kept the emails from Cicero to himself to avoid compromising the federal investigation of the tattoo parlor's owner. Except that wasn't quite true, either, since he forwarded them to Sarniak.

Which means Tressel did nothing that could have helped settle this little scandal in an above-board manner. Given a choice in how to handle it, he went under the table and then lied about it.

As the story got worse, Ohio State has grudgingly given ground -- trying to save face and save Tressel at the same time.

Players were suspended, but not the coach. Then the coach was suspended for two games in 2011. Then, when that looked like a soft response, Tressel asked for the suspension to be raised to five games -- commensurate with what the players got from the NCAA.

AP Photo/Terry GilliamOhio State AD Gene Smith and coach Jim Tressel have some tough decisions to make.

But with allegations on paper, that still doesn't seem like enough.

If recent history tells us anything, it's that the NCAA doesn't look kindly upon dissemblers. Ask former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant, whose college football career ended by misleading the NCAA. Former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl will find out the same thing eventually, when the NCAA could hit him with a show-cause order that prevents him from college coaching for some period of time.

Because he was a popular winner, Tennessee thought long and hard about keeping Pearl even after he was charged in September by the NCAA. The school was widely derided for that stance before ultimately coming around in March and firing him.

To many fans outside the SEC, the Volunteers' insistence in standing by Pearl for many months was seen as another example of the league's win-at-all-costs mentality. Ultimately, though, it did not last. Tennessee did what it had to do.

The Ohio State University finds itself in a similar situation now -- but the coach is an even bigger name, with a bigger salary and a bigger rep.

It's a tough position to be in. But Ohio State was faced with firing a football icon before, and did what it had to do. It should do so again -- not just as a message to the NCAA, but as a message to everyone about what the school is made of.
Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.

[lineygoblue]

Ohio State was faced with firing a football icon before, and did what it had to do. It should do so again -- not just as a message to the NCAA, but as a message to everyone about what the school is made of.

And that's the bottom line, folks.

[Jamie H]

Tressel, Buckeyes at crossroads
Ohio State is stripped to its soul, and now we're going to see what the school is made of. Does it cherish its reputation more than its football prowess, or not?

I say no. OSU won't fire Tressel unless the NCAA makes them. He's a winner, so who cares about anything else, right? It's all just unjustified persecution of St. Jim.

[Pasadena Blue]

And this one incident does not immediately validate every wild claim ever made about Tressel

... yes, but it does cast a doubt .... if you can remove the scarlet colored glasses for a moment.

[Jamie H]

Nope, but it shows that he is more than happy to cover up violations and lie to keep his players eligible. Once you show someone is a liar and a cheat, it makes it that much easier to believe they've ALWAYS been a liar and a cheat. Especially with the amount of smoke that always seems to be drifting around whatever program Tressel is at.

[SeattleLionsFan]

Re: Osu players not getting free cars. What about Pryor being ticketed in three different new cara which were "loaners" from a local dealership covered in signed memorabilia?

[geo weidl]

win baby win

http://dai.ly/eDCn9P