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

[Jamie H]

Right. Without the ability to truly investigate things and get people under oath, the NCAA is impotent.

[Jeff Buchanan]

To be fair, the NCAA was never set up to be an investigative body with the power to unilaterally investigate alleged violations, satisfy due process and impose penalties. It is not a legal entity in that sense of the word.

It's a cooperative body of colleges who agree to abide by a set of rules established by and for the members. The NCAA simply administers the agreements among its member institutions.

It relies heavily on the cooperation of a program who has allegedly broken the rules and further relies on the institution to come to a conclusion on what penalties it should suffer and impose them themselves. They let the institution do the heavy lifting and it appear to me that's what they want osu to do ..... unfortunately osu seems to think tressel is, fundamentally, a great guy and just being humiliated along with the punishments already imposed is punishment enough.

Can't say that is going to wash with the NCAA but chances are good it will and the NCAA may tack on a few more sanctions but observers I'm hearing think tressel might survive this .... by the skin of his teeth.

Speilman said this weekend he did not think tressel would survive if the NCAA increases the five month suspension already imposed to one year. Said osu and gee have to put the program above one man. Don't know if Speilman might know some insider information about what is being contemplated for osu and tressel by the NCAA but he might as he probably has good sources.

[geo weidl]

A third former prominent buckeye has come out against saint jim. And as usual more threats from the buckeye faithful.




Dr. Saturday
Wed May 11 07:56am EDT
Headlinin?: Chris Spielman doesn?t expect Jim Tressel back this fall

By Matt Hinton

Making the morning rounds.
? As the Buckeye turns. Former Ohio State All-American/current ESPN analyst/de facto conscience of the Buckeye Nation Chris Spielman told a country club crowd earlier this week that he would be "surprised" if Jim Tressel coached at all in 2011, because he suspects "there is more stuff coming out" about the unfolding scandal that has already landed Tressel on a five-game suspension to start the season. "Ohio State is bigger than one individual," said Spielman, who added that he's been on the receiving end of threatening e-mails* for criticizing Tressel in the past. "So what has to happen, in my opinion, is that the people in charge have to take an honest look and say, 'What is best for the university moving forward?' Then they have to make a hard decision. And I do believe Coach Tressel owes it to our university, he has to look in the mirror and say, 'What is best for the university looking forward?'" [LimaSports.com, via Eleven Warriors]
? One down, 49 to go. In slightly more spiriting news for Buckeye fans, state documents show that former defensive lineman Thaddeus Gibson did in fact pay $13,700 for a 2007 Chrysler 300C in June 2007. The Columbus Dispatch reported over weekend ? as part of its larger story about OSU's internal investigation into Buckeye athletes and their families buying en masse from two local auto dealers ? that documents obtained by the paper listed the sale price on Gibson's car as $0, though Gibson claimed he paid and was "still paying." No other Buckeye-related sales under scrutiny were listed as freebies. [Columbus Dispatch]

[geo weidl]

No Bell Tolling at Pitt

PLAYERS:Dorian Bell
TEAMS:Ohio State Buckeyes


Lots that needs to be touched on — expansion, Graham puffer, and the Century of Change — but I’ll hit this first.
The minor stir caused yesterday by reports that Dorian Bell would be transferring to Pitt has quickly fizzled out. All last evening, Chris Peak of PantherLair had tweeted that any reports of Dorian Bell transferring to Pitt were foolish. That it wasn’t happening.
Paul Zeise also backs that up.

Former Gateway standout Dorian Bell may indeed leave Ohio State, but there is absolutely zero chance he will end up at Pitt. I was told tonight by several sources that Pitt coach Todd Graham will not even consider taking Bell, who is suspended for next season for unspecified rules violations, or any player who has been in trouble elsewhere.

The three transfers to Pitt so far have been clean players. Not suspended or kicked off the team. Bell is on his third violation for what is believed to be drugs/alcohol violations. Even if Graham wanted to take the guy (which he apparently doesn’t), you have to believe that the Pitt AD and President would not sign off on this.
I can’t blame Pitt for saying no thanks. As much potential as he may still possess, it doesn’t seem worth

[lineygoblue]

As I've stated before. Jim Tressel is slicker than a greased snake. He has now hired a big name lawyer with inside NCAA connections to represent him before the NCAA.

I think the chances of him getting away with all this just improved dramatically. He was already well connected in the NCAA, and this is further proof of that.

In contrast, Rich Rodriguez was grilled in front of the NCAA pretty much by himself. He had no hired gun with friends on the panel to represent him.

Proof that the rules are different for O-Lie-O and Jim Tressel

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/14/tressel-hires-legal-big-gun-has-no-plans-to-resign/

[Jeff Buchanan]

It is very difficult to say where the deciders inside osu are at this moment. By this I mean those above smith, maybe above gee. I doubt very seriously that we have a salubrious environment among those involved in this and I'd say it is more likely that the relationship that exists between tressel - smith - and gee may be somewhat adversarial.

Rodriguez didn't have to hire a lawyer .... he had Brandon and a fine University legal staff on his side. As well, Brandon had hired consultants with NCAA connections. Seems to me that tressel hiring his own lawyer speaks more to the point that he's been given some level of notice, perhaps from smith and/or gee, perhaps higher than that that he is on his own in this thing.

I would offer that the deciders - whoever they are and it all depends on smith's and/or gee's hands being dirty or not in this - have several scenarios that they have worked out.

If the underlying assumption in each scenario is that tressel is going to be punished by the NCAA for lying, beyond the punishments he has already been handed by osu and what he has self-imposed - a very logical conclusion - the scenarios would then logically branch from there with fire or retain boxes starting the algorithm.

Firing him then produces boxes based on whether tressel fights the firing or goes quietly; both scenarios would have plans to replace him. My sense is that if he is let go (not saying he will be) they will go interim and luke fickel will be the guy. IN the retain scenario, tressel skates and resumes his duties as HC with his superiors believing he can "get out in front of this" bringing glory to himself and tosu by doing so. Obviously this is the most desirable scenario for osu. It will suck for the NCAA and CFB and most people outside of the sphere of osu buffoonery will be pissed off about it.

In the fire him path, from there, I would think they have to assess what do they do with fickle going forward and I assume this depends on how severe the NCAA penalties are ..... options from here in the algorithm would include retaining him with mild to moderately severe penalties (depends on what candidate suitable to osu might be interested at all under a moderate sanctions scenario) to cleaning house completely the more severe the sanctions become (believing that the whole staff is tainted and has to be tossed). I would think this nuclear option also depends on who is available and willing to come.

I disagree with Linesman on this. I think tressel (smith and gee depending on their involvement) gets canned, he's going to fight it, is preparing to fight it and in the process will do significant additional damage to osu .... this is my dream scenario; several years of football staff turmoil and infighting, no one wanting to get close to osu - both recruits and decent coaches - and a decade of recovery ..... all of this being of osu's and jt's own doing.

The igniter will be the circumstances that the NCAA finds itself in with the national level expectation that - as the new NCAA President has said - meaningful penalties - the kind that will make the calculus for breaking the rules all for not breaking them - will be levied on osu. Can't wait for the COI - all the preseason disruption that will bring, along with it the terrific negative press for tressel, pryor and osu.

Drama, as Rodriguez used to say .... all the drama but this is a soap I'm going to thoroughly enjoy.

[lineygoblue]

I think tressel (smith and gee depending on their involvement) gets canned, he's going to fight it, is preparing to fight it and in the process will do significant additional damage to osu .... this is my dream scenario; several years of football staff turmoil and infighting, no one wanting to get close to osu - both recruits and decent coaches - and a decade of recovery ..... all of this being of osu's and jt's own doing.

I hope this happens too, Jeff. It would serve them right.

[geo weidl]

And we were worried about practicegate. Looks as if saint jim is so full of himself, no one not even smith or the ncaa can tell him what he or cannot do.

gee may have been right, jt may fire him.

[hodgkal]

We have lots of speculation but no real knowledge of the situation down there. But I suspect all this uncertainty is having an adverse effect on the program, especially in the recruiting game. When icons like Spielman and Herbstreit are willing to make public comments it has to hurt. Remember how upset we all were when Harbaugh made some off-handed criticisms about Michigan academics and the publicity this generated?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Speculation? .... you are right, Doc but the more I read opinions offered by both friends and foes of osu the more a subset of outcomes becomes clear. Yeah, its guessing but that's what message boards are for.

I read one post from an SEC fan who was saddened by tress-mess because of what it is doing to the public image of college football. I agree with that to a certain extent but it is mere lubrication, IMO, to get the NCAA to act in a forceful manner on the facts that are already at hand ...... tressel lied to the NCAA. That is already a matter of record. The NCAA has to protect the public image of the product that produces as much revenue as it does just like the NFL protects it's image by hammering rule breakers.

If Dez Bryant gets declared ineligible by the NCAA, that ruling upheld on appeal, for going to lunch with Deon Sanders and lying about it to his school and to the NCAA, I cannot imagine that in the end of this, tressel remains as osu's HC.

The NCAA took a huge amount of heat after letting the tat5 play in the Sugar Bowl only to find that many who had supported that initial request made by osu for this group to play had been lied to by tressel (and maybe others).

The NCAA HAS to get to the bottom of osu's misdeeds and levy suitable punishments that will make college coaches and administrators think very carefully about breaking the rules going forward. If the NCAA fails to do this they will fail to establish themselves as a credible organization capable of administering their own and its member institution's by-laws.

Failing to do that would be seen as a major blow to college sports and it is on that basis that I think tressel is going to receive a Show Cause Letter from the NCAA. What happens to osu is a matter of establishing who, above and below jt, knew what and when?

In this matter, there is nothing of substance and the evidence available to the public supports the conclusion that compliance officials, smith and gee didn't know what tressel knew about the tat5 (not to mention the details of the car deals still emerging). I find it very difficult to believe that those two and perhaps a select member of the compliance department didn't know. It seems to me that the vest's hiring of lawyer Gene Marsh, who incidentally was the same lawyer that was hired on a consulting basis by Dave Brandon and M's legal staff last year, may indicate that tressel at the least and perhaps all the players in this - tress, smith, gee, compliance staff, etc. - might have known something, stone walled it and all of them may be on their own at the direction of authorities above gee. http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.s...tressel_h.html

[geo weidl]

From my friend SB, Jeff . Not sure how this ties into the s#$tfest at o-lie-o, but saint jim poached this person from wvu years ago and now she has been reassigned duties in o-lie-o.



Tressel Breaks Promise, Ousts Football PR Person

http://sportsbybrooks.com/

[Jeff Buchanan]

That's interesting, Geo .... not sure how to read that.

tressel might just be trying to show he still has some muscle.

[geo weidl]

Or maybe she knows something.

[hack]

Well then hopefully this will help her blow the whistle, which is why you'd kinda doubt it, but not enough information here to really know.

[lineygoblue]

Seems like if they wanted to keep her quiet, they'd have done something NICE for her, rather than demoting her.