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

[lineygoblue]

Not nowadays. The good old boy network fully protects the team in columbus

[Optimus Prime]

OSU booster admits he, Pryor responsible for payments to players

DSL you omitted the most important parts, not only did Pryor steal thousands of dollars in equipment, it appears Tressel put him in charge of cash disbursement to his Ohio State teammates. You know go see this guy he is a, "a friend of the program".

Posted by Ben Kercheval on September 14, 2011, 10:29 AM EDT MSNBC


AP
Just yesterday, the three Ohio State players suspended for receiving $200 in cash at a charity event — junior running back Jordan Hall, sophomore defensive back Corey Brown, and junior defensive back Travis Howard — were reinstated to the team by the NCAA.

Up to this point, though, it was still unclear exactly who — at least publicly — gave the envelopes of cash to the players.

According to a follow-up report from the Columbus Dispatch, however, we have our answers on those specifics.

A Cleveland-area businessman and OSU booster by the name of Robert DiGeronimo stopped short of telling the Dispatch that physically gave the $200 to the three players, but did admit that he played an important role in the three players receiving the impermissible benefits.

From the latest report:

DiGeronimo confirmed reports to The Dispatch that former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor gave the cash envelopes to his three teammates. DiGeronimo said the money was intended as reimbursement for travel expenses.

“However Mr. Pryor got the money, I take responsibility. I am responsible for those kids coming up here from Columbus,” he said. “I handled it wrong. I should not have handled it the way I did.”

DiGeronimo said neither his son-in-law, Mark Tripodi, the executive director of the charity he co-founded with his wife after their 3-year-old son Bobby died in 2000, nor anyone else with the nonprofit were aware of the payments. “However the money got there … it did not come from Cornerstone,” DiGeronimo said.

Previously, specifics of who executed the money exchange or where the money came from weren’t immediately known:

One player told investigators he received the cash from a former OSU player while another indicated he received payment from a person who is “a representative of athletics interests.” Both names were redacted by Ohio State attorneys.

The two players who did not receive money observed someone carrying several envelopes during the event. However, the identity of that individual was also redacted by Ohio State attorneys.

According to the self-report, it was unclear whether the person who gave the money did so in his role as a representative of the charity or acting alone. The source of the money is also unclear.

The NCAA stated yesterday in a release “according to the facts submitted by the university, the money was provided by a university booster.”

And, apparently, it was executed by Pryor.

It should be noted that, according to a separate university release, “[t]he enforcement investigation into the Ohio State University is ongoing.”; that investigation is separate from the one for which OSU appeared in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions last month.

The charity event where the violations occurred took place in February of this year. Pryor, amid several scandals, moved on from the university in June and was picked up in the NFL’s supplemental draft by the Raiders last month. Pryor is currently not allowed to participate in the first five games of this season; Pryor would have faced faced a five-game suspension in college had he returned for his senior year for receiving impermissible benefits while at Ohio State.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I posted the most important part. The players were reinstated. Badabing badaboom. Continue gnashing your teeth in a rage that we "are getting away with it"

[hack]

Which you are. At least have the decency to understand that it's wrong.

[Rocky Bleier]

Man, that story just keeps getiing beter and better. :-D

[lineygoblue]

And it will keep on going. The NCAA is going to pat them on the head and tell them to "carry on".

[Dr. Strangelove]

Michigan Men casting stones at the NCAA because it won't cripple OSU for them and aid Michigan's "Return to Glory"

[hack]

You'd better Never Lose To Us Again, because with each victory you'll be reminded that you cheat, we don't, and yet we're still better than you.

[Dr. Strangelove]

You'd better Never Lose To Us Again, because with each victory you'll be reminded that you cheat, we don't, and yet we're still better than you.

Michigan cheats. Hence the Failure to Monitor.

[Optimus Prime]

OL & DL lines are better than Ohio State's , although Harris will try to give the game away repeatedly OSU drops the first of four or five this season, enjoy and BTW thanks Jim Tressel.

DSL, you strike me as a Riverboat Gambler, care to place a wager Canes/BuckNuts? Time to put your money where your mouth is.

[hack]

LOL. You're not fooling anyone with that, but you knew that already. It's gonna feel a lot worse when we start beating you. You'll be the Kent Dorfman of CFB.

[Optimus Prime]

DSL, where did you go? "Mighty Toledo" scare put you on the run, well it should have....had Appy St., written all over it. No OSU scandels to report on South Beach...yet.

[iam416]

I don't see Ohio State winning this. Miami's DL is really good and will give OSU tons of problems, especially with an immobile QB. Miami, I think, is suspect in the back on defense, but, unfortunately, Ohio State won't be able to take meaningful advantage of it. I'd be surprised if Ohio State scores 20 with the benefit of numerous short fields. It will, though, be nice ot have Hall back. It's nice to have a RB with vision. Hyde and Smith are decent -- and hell, they're great for your 4th and 5th string RBs. But neither one of them is really seeing the field too well, though, at least, they both bull forward for generally positive yards rather than tippy toeing around looking for daylight.

On the other side, I think OSU's DL has an advantage. It sucks that Nathan Williams is out -- just one more loss. But I still like the DL. Toledo only hurt OSU with bubble screens and RB screens -- the DBs got blocked out of the world -- couldn't get off them at all. Miami doesn't do much of that -- much more of direct attack. It's really good to have Howard back -- I like the secondary and LBs against Miami's offense.

Harris, as everyone knows, is erratic. I think he'll do enough to win the game. I think Miami will run the ball enough to win the game. I think it's something like 23-13 or so. It's close enough that turnovers and STs could easily decide the game, so I guess we always have the Jacory factor to hope for. But, in the end, I think this is a loss.

Unfortunately, I also think the Bausermann era soldiers on. This is actually where OSU really misses Coach Tressel. I think he would have been much quicker to go to Braxton knowing he didn't have to coach for his life. Fickell needs wins -- in theory (I, personally, don't think his record matters).

[Jeff Buchanan]

Unfortunately, I also think the Bausermann era soldiers on. This is actually where OSU really misses Coach Tressel. I think he would have been much quicker to go to Braxton knowing he didn't have to coach for his life. Fickell needs wins -- in theory (I, personally, don't think his record matters).

I thought Miller looked very sharp during limited playing time. He adds another dimension to osu's offense that is completely missing with Bausermann. Seems like the brain trust at osu thinks, ala. the Krenzel era, you run a low risk offense and play to your defense and kicking game. (A) I do not find osu's kicking game dominant. (B) No risk, no gain. I think fickell has the potential to play not to lose. I may not have thought tressel ball was very exciting but the vest NEVER did that. Had a great sense of what needed to be done to beat any given team in any given game.

Snickering that he is gone.

[iam416]

Ohio State's punting game is fine, but Drew Basil is off to a horrid start as the PK.

Yeah, this is not a team ideally built for conservative football. But, I'm sure Fickell feels he has to squeeze out at least 9 wins to have a chance at a 2nd year -- or maybe that he can't lose 5. Either way, he's not real inclined to recognize the season for what it is: lost wrt the national title. So, he ought to focus on winning the B10. The only way they win the B10 is with Miller at QB performing decently.

They changed QBs in 2004/2008 and I think were better off for it in the long run. They need to make the switch soon -- for both conference play and, especially, 2012.