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

[Hannibal]

This is another test case for the NCAA. It's worse than USC and Reggie Bush. I don't remember seeing any e-mails that proved that Pete Carroll knew about Reggie Bush's relationship with an agent and then later lied to the NCAA about it. We'll see if the NCAA has any balls here.

In the old forum, I declared a month or two ago that OSU fans had better pray that none of the shady boosters that the OSU players get cash from are ever the subject of a non football-related investigation. They apparently didn't pray hard enough. This Eddie Rife asshole sounds like OSU Football's Ed Martin. Except in this case, OSU has multiple Ed Martins. The guy who made Terrelle Pryor a member of the "Escalade of the Month" Club is another shady character.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Two things ...... this blog post I read pretty much sums it up for me. Every sports writer, every osu fan (including the school and local papers) are blow-torching tressel, gee and smith. They are not going to survive the pitchforks let alone the NCAA. I've never seen a wholesale abdonement of a trio of higher ups in college athletics in my life. Even USC supporters are still supporting/defending the football program, Carroll and his antics. Circle the wagons describes the Auburn and Oregon Duck camps. Simply mind boggling!

I don't know how Ohio State can avoid a full vacation of its 2010 season. All five players played in each game. Pryor in particular directly affected the outcome of each game. A two game suspension of tressel isn't going to cut it with the NCAA.


There's no defending Tressel on this one. Three emails detailing issues germane to NCAA relevant violations, including one initiated by Tressel himself. Then there's Tressel telling investigators he didn't know anything about it. This isn't a phone call gone unheeded. This is a full blown cover up.


Frankly I'm shocked. I can't believe that this is the way it went down for Tressel and Ohio State. We've all joked about the shadiness and questionable recruiting at OSU for years. Yet Tressel's come off smelling like a rose. But this. This boggles my mind. He was warned about it. He took proactive steps about it. And then he lied to the NCAA about it. I'm shocked. There's no other word for it.


Well... at least for one summer the NCAA will focus its attention on Columbus rather than inexplicably on Ann Arbor. Thanks for that, Jim. Say hi to the investigators for us.

[hack]

No doubt about it, schadenfreude feels so good and so right.

[Rob F]

like I said upthread yesterday, it's gonna be enjoyable watching the hand-wringing in Columbus!

http://www.detroitlionsforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=517745&postcount=44

[SeanB]

This was the most notable excerpt from the SI article that PB posted. I had stumbled across it, too, just before he put the link up. Tressell is just a liar, plain and simple.

But no rational person can possibly accept the fact that the "NCAA end of things" failed to dawn on Tressel for another ... oh, eight months. Or how he could in good conscience sign an NCAA Certificate of Compliance form three months later asserting "he has reported any knowledge of possible violations to the institution."

[entropy]

OSU has some things they should be concerned about. Dez Bryant was suspended a year for lying to the NCAA. Nobody felt he did anything wrong, but he lied. It would be tough for the NCAA to say a white coach has different rules than a black player. I'm sure the pokes are really watching this one.

[entropy]

This is going to take months ........ manna from heaven. osu is absolutely screwed for a couple of years no matter what happens with he NCAA. It would be nice if they did act swiftly though.

First the NCAA will conduct an investigation. I think in this case they will do so whether they are invited in by osu or not. Its too big a deal to ignore. This will take 3-6 months.

Then they will present osu with their findings and osu will have an opportunity to prepare a response and deliver it to the infractions committee ..... another 4 -6 months.

Then the NCAA will deliberate and hand down its findings/penalties in 3-6 months. Best guess shortest time frame is a year, longest 2.

OTH, given the apparent egregiousness of tressel's conduct - appears that he lied to NCAA investigators .... or barring actual testimony provided by tressel on this matter to the NCAA or its officials in its report, he lied to AD Smith as part of an internal investigation who then self reported erroneous information to the NCAA - some dong punches could be issued by the NCAA right away; declaring osu members of the Tattoo club ineligible to play CFB at all and forcing Gee to fire tressel sounds about right to me.

As a long standing hater of everything about osu, I cannot express my elation over this stunning turn of events. As Michigan emerges form the ashes of the Rodriguez disaster, licking its wounds from all the snickering from osu fans in the last seven years, osu now finds itself on the brink of a disaster of their own foolish and arrogant making.

Jeff.. it wouldn't surprise me if the NCAA is already investigating this.

[Hannibal]

OSU has some things they should be concerned about. Dez Bryant was suspended a year for lying to the NCAA. Nobody felt he did anything wrong, but he lied. It would be tough for the NCAA to say a white coach has different rules than a black player. I'm sure the pokes are really watching this one.

This is a lot worse than Dez Bryant. Dez Bryant is not a coach. He is not the leader of the program. If he lies, it is not indicative of "Lack of Institutional Control". Tressel is the textbook definition of that phrase, dating back to his days at Youngstown State, and now it is finally out there indisputably in black and white. I don't want to predict that the NCAA will bring the hammer, because I'm not sure if they will, but if any program deserves it, it's OSU.

[hack]

This kinda puts Harbaugh's point about the NFL in perspective. Why try to compete honourably and pretend you're on a level playing field with schools like Tattoo U (I'm working hard for it, JD), particularly as your main rival?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Hack, I think that is a very insightful view. Maybe Harbaugh knew a whole lot more than we gave him credit for knowing .... not specifics about osu but the college game in general.

He's a tough SOB. I suspect he knew very well that Carroll was cheating and he was going to have to work 3X as hard to beat USC honestly with lesser talent and smarter kids with character. He did it and his famous outburst with Carroll after kicking his butt demonstratess what was maybe something like ..... in your face you cheating bastard. We do it honestly here .... something BTW he learned from Bo.

Maybe he had a sense of Oregon too. Whatever it was he was probably correct. College football (and B-Ball) is a mess right now, adrift in more sideline criminal activity and bad money than it should be. It will be tough to extricate itself from the pit that osu has certainly helped to take it .... esp. in light of the ineptitude of the NCAA.

[hack]

Thank you, but I think the specifics apply. When you know you're going to be measured in large part by one game, and when the opponent is an incorrigible cheater, you've got a pretty crappy job description to start.

All that said, and as much as its fun to play the angel pleased to see the devil knocked down a few pegs, UM's is not a perfect program either. There are likely minor violations on a regular basis, and there have been unsavoury kids put on the field because they helped M win. Still, that's something else on a whole other level compared to the Ten-Year Fraud.

[Hannibal]

College football (and B-Ball) is a mess right now, adrift in more sideline criminal activity and bad money than it should be...

Boy, you're not kidding. Up until a couple of years ago, I thought that rampant cheating and bankrolling of players was a relic of the Barry Switzer and old SMU days. Boy was I wrong. College football is as corrupt as it has ever been. Both participants in last year's national championship game might have to vacate their victories. Auburn almost certainly will. The USC program has been put on probation and they are openly disregarding it by signing a whopping 30 players in this recruiting class. TCU might be in trouble. Add to that the dirt at OSU and UNC, and the sport looks pretty ugly right now.

All that said, and as much as its fun to play the angel pleased to see the devil knocked down a few pegs, UM's is not a perfect program either. There are likely minor violations on a regular basis, and there have been unsavoury kids put on the field because they helped M win. Still, that's something else on a whole other level compared to the Ten-Year Fraud.

We might not be perfect, but we just got the microscope-up-the-ass treatment from the NCAA and a hostile media, and all that they found was minor practice-related shit that provided practically no competitive advantage. The guilty parties associated with it are gone from the program, and we received punishment in proportion to the violation. We were not guilty of lack of institutional control or failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance. Ohio State and Jim Tressel clearly are.

[hack]

Yes, agreed.

[lineygoblue]

As a long standing hater of everything about osu, I cannot express my elation over this stunning turn of events. As Michigan emerges form the ashes of the Rodriguez disaster, licking its wounds from all the snickering from osu fans in the last seven years, osu now finds itself on the brink of a disaster of their own foolish and arrogant making.

Jeff, are you sure you are not my daddy? :-)

[lineygoblue]

We might not be perfect, but we just got the microscope-up-the-ass treatment from the NCAA and a hostile media, and all that they found was minor practice-related shit that provided practically no competitive advantage.

Exactly. Its actually kind of fun right now, popping some popcorn, and watching these Schmucknuts squirm. This is almost ... ALMOST as much fun as beating them on the field ...