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

[lineygoblue]

Repeat, how is the car dealership stuff directly related to Tressel? He's supposed to be monitoring what all his players are driving and closely reviewing their financing arrangements? Is he also responsible for going over their rent agreements? Should he be there to witness them signing the lease? When they go out shopping, do they need Tressel's permission first and he or a staff member must accompany them?

1. He is the top guy. The big kahuna. The head coach. The top dog. He's supposed to know what's going on in his program. Either by personal knowledge, or by trustworthy individuals who report to him.

2. Yes. He should be monitoring any deals where his players are driving cars that they were not driving at the time they were in high school. If he can't personally monitor it, then The Ohio State University needs to have someone in their compliance department riding shotgun on their athletes to be sure their cars were obtained within NCAA rules.

3. If Coach Tressel and the Ohio State Athletic department haven't taken notice of what happened to USC and Pete Carroll, then they need their collective heads examined. They need people in their compliance department to verify that the players rental arrangements comply with the rules. Ohio State DOES believe in complying with NCAA rules, yes?

4. If Coach Tressel has recruited and signed players who cannot be trusted to obey NCAA rules regarding what they can buy, trade, sell, etc., then that's nobody's fault but his own. If he has to ride shotgun on their individual purchases, then maybe those athletes shouldn't be wearing an Ohio State uniform, yes?

There's no way to wiggle out of this, Strangelove. Either you believe that Ohio State is bound by the rules of the NCAA, or they're not. You must believe that Coach Tressel, Mr. Gee and Mr. Smith are ultimately responsible for enforcing NCAA rules at Ohio State, or you believe that the rules do NOT apply to Ohio State. Take your choice.

The view from this side of the border is, you guys are walking a very shaky tightrope, at best.

[Mike]

The view from this side of the border is, you guys are walking a very shaky tightrope, at best.

Good. That makes them easy pickins' for my snipers.

[Jeff Buchanan]

You make a good point about the compliance department, Liney.

Sure, tressel should not have to be down there all the time or riding heard on all the players but he damn well better know who's running it for him and how things are going. More importantly, smith or one of his assistants should be on top of this.

We saw this problem in PracticeGate. It was about stretching and recording the time being spent doing that. RR was accused of not being on top of it and M successfully defended him for the charge that he failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance. But at osu, we're seeing players get benefits in the form of loaner cars or special zero payment, zero interest purchases. Totally different ball game here. If there is any concept of fairness and consistency being applied by the NCAA, smith and/or tressel have to be charged with failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance, among other things ..... like utter loss of institutional control!

[Rocky Bleier]

Wow, I think it's 50-50 now whether Saint Jim is fired. Urban Meyer is doubtful as a replcement so soon after leaving Florida. I hear Rich Rodriguez is looking for another head coaching gig. Anyone think Dantonio would jump at the chance to go back?

[Jeff Buchanan]

osu is going to be a very hard sell for a top coach if tressel is fired ..... which is one of the reasons, if not THE reason gee hasn't fired both tressel and smith.

The triumvirate appears to have made a decision to play the odds that the NCAA won't add on. Smelling blood in the water - and believe you me, there is plenty of it - The press is trying to make sure they do.

I would not be surprised one bit if there is a group of monied and/or influential anti-tressel/smith people who are working behind the scenes, feeding the press, to undermine the current staff ..... sound familiar? Count Delaney and Herbstreit among them.

[SeanB]

Dantonio would go back in a heartbeat, I would think.

This is the guy who pulled for osu to beat Michigan, even when an M win would have put the sparties atop the Conference, IIRC.

He'd go back.

[Jeff Buchanan]

On Saturday, Dr. Saturday of Yahoo Sports wrote this piece. It's a pretty good breakdown of what has been going on with the car thing if you have not been following it and I haven't.

I wrote above that the triumvirate appears to have decided to play the odds that the NCAA won't add anything on to the current penalties, keeping tressel as osu's HC and, according to his sympathizers, by doing so, show that he can get out in front of this thing with future good behavior after a stinging rebuke. That's BS but its also beside the point. gee has drawn a line in the sand and dared the NCAA to cross it. Fine. We'll see what happens.

If the NCAA acts further, I think there is adequate justification to (1) Vacate all 2010 wins for playing ineligible players, (2) provide meaningful scholarship reductions in the neighborhood of 3-4 per year for 3 years for the HC lying to gain a competitive advantage, (3) a one year post season ban (includes the B10 Championship game in 2011) for lying to the NCAA and convincing them with those lies to allow the ineligible players to play in the Bowl preserving whatever competitive advantage those 5 players conferred. I see that kind of thing as tit for tat.

I'll be happy with that. Anything less will just piss me off.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Ohio-State-embarks-on-another-used-car-drama-A-?urn=ncaaf-wp1296

[Jamie H]

Dantonio to OSU would be fine with me. He's actually making MSU respectable, so it's time for him to get out of East Lansing.

[Hannibal]

I wonder if Dantonio is a lying cheater like his former boss. It makes me wonder also if he carried a little bit of Tressel's shady business practices to East Lansing.

[Mike]

Wasn't there some smoke out of EL regarding cash for players recently? I think it came from one of those "tell all" expose' type articles featuring some former Auburn players that took visits to MSU during their recruitment. Given Dantonio's jail-to-football program, it wouldn't surprise me.

[WM Wolverine]

Former Auburn player said a booster gave cash while at an MSU camp; not much to see there unless you get more kids saying such.

[Mike]

Agreed.

[geo weidl]

Ohio State University’s chief enforcer of NCAA rules said yesterday that he will investigate used-car purchases made by dozens of OSU athletes at two Columbus car dealers to see if any sale violated collegiate rules.
The investigation was initiated after The Dispatch found in public records that at least eight Ohio State athletes and 11 athletes’ relatives bought used cars from Jack Maxton Chevrolet or Auto Direct during the past five years. The investigation will involve outside experts and examine at least 50 sales, focusing on whether the athletes received improper benefits.

What are the odds on not finding anything?

[SeanB]

Nah. Suspended players have to give their Tahoe back. He didn't like that.

[geo weidl]

Buckeyes' Bell to transfer to Pitt

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

As headlines at Ohio State go these days, one delivering news no worse than that a reserve linebacker already suspended for the entirety of 2011 has elected to transfer might be downright welcomed, just for being something less than catastrophic.

We'll hope so for those beleagured Buckeye fans' sake, since that headline has arrived. According to 247Sports affiliate Bucknuts, redshirt sophomore linebacker Dorian Bell --after being suspended for the 2011 season for repeated violations of the same team rule -- will transfer closer to home at Pitt rather than wait to be reinstated in Columbus in 2012.

That choice ends a brief, disappointing Buckeye tenure for Bell, who arrived at OSU out of Monroeville (Pa.) as one of the nation's hottest linebacking recruits. But Bell was forced to take a surprising redshirt in 2009 and played in a limited role in 2010. He had been expected to challenge for one of the two vacant starting positions in the Buckeye linebacking corps this fall, but the suspension ended any chance of that and Bell decided to move on.

The good news for Ohio State is that Bell's decision does nothing to change their outlook for 2011 (though the initial suspension did deal a minor blow to their depth in the LB unit) and would seem to have only minor repercussions down the road ... unless Bell blows up at Pitt. Panther fans will hope that the change of scenery helps him reach his five-star potential--as they have similar hopes for other recent Pittsburgh-area-recruits-turned- transfers-home Cullen Christian (from Michigan) and Brandon Felder (from North Carolina).

And in the meantime, the Buckeyes will hope this is as bad as the news this week gets.