Is there any reason to be nervous?

[knapplc]

Generally speaking, "breaking the law/violating rules of conduct" means you can and usually will lose your job immediately, and without remedy.

True, but Tressel would fight it because it could potentially mean millions to him, and of course that would go to court and get public and ugly, so the most likely scenario is a negotiated buyout. Nobody wants their dirty laundry aired like that.

 

If Tressel is canned he won't fight it. Violating rules of conduct and the law is most certainly in his coaching contract as grounds for termination without compensation. If he violated NCAA rules and the school acts to terminate him because of that then he has no grounds to sue.

 

If they fired him because of falling short in BCS games then he could sue for rightful compensation. In this scenario the former would be the case. He wouldn't drag it out since no judge would accept the case.

 

 

A more recent and somewhat similar example was Mike Leach at Texas Tech. However, Leach was fired amid allegations of player mistreatment and there were no formal sanctions from the NCAA. Thus, it is debatable whether he violated the codified code of conduct in his contract since that dealt with legal and NCAA sanctions. Tressel's contract and all of them for Div 1 coaches contain clauses which allow justifiable dismissal if sanctions are levied. It's not like Tressel is in the drivers seat at all.

 

Actually, Leach is who I was thinking of when I mentioned that Tressel might fight it. I would imagine he would fight it if for no other reason than to force a settlement. You're absolutely right in that he would be fired for cause in this scenario and that the school would likely win the case, but the goal wouldn't be to win in Tressel's situation - it would be the threat of a public airing of dirty laundry, and a settlement negotiated based on that threat.

 

I freely admit this is purely conjecture on my part, and I have no evidence that Tressel would stoop to such tactics. Consider this just thinking out loud.

[roksmith]

First of all, I don't think you guys have to worry about Bo getting the call from OSU if Tressel does leave. There are a handful of coaches that would get tapped first.

And secondly, I don't know.. but I don't think it will come to that.

Providing that there is nothing else that hasn't already come out, I can't see Jim leaving.

He's already come clean about what happened and the university is standing behind him.

The NCAA doesn't have any real authority to get rid of a coach, and a "Show Cause" penalty can't force OSU to fire him, it can only highly discourage other institutions from hiring him should he leave Columbus.

The one thing they can do... and I think it would be a major abuse of their power.. would be to issue an extremely harsh penalty against Ohio State and word it such that the penalty sticks unless "major changes" occur at the University (fire the coach).

I think that would be petty of the NCAA and show that they are mad and got their feelings hurt.. and that's no way for a sanctioning body to act.

Here's my best guess as to what will happen:

Best case for OSU - The NCAA issues a stern warning and upholds the self imposed sanctions.

Worst case for OSU - Vacate all of the 2010 season except for the Sugar bowl (since the players had their eligibility revoked and reinstated prior to the game), Suspends Tressel for the entire year, and slaps OSU with 2 years of probation.

Of course post season participation could also be imposed, but I suspect the final results will fall in between my best and worse case scenarios.

 

I don't think Tressel will get fired, but if the NCAA imposes extremely harsh penalties, he will step down.

 

I hope it doesn't happen because I think the good he has done over the years far outweighs the bad.

[knapplc]

I think the fact that he lied to the NCAA is more than just the NCAA "got their feelings hurt." The problem the NCAA has is they've been so inconsistent.

 

• There were MAJOR violations at USC during Carroll's tenure, but they get some scholly restrictions and a post-season ban for a couple of years, and that's it, plus the investigation takes five years.
  
• Dez Bryant lied to them and lost an entire season (maybe the best indication of what they'll do to Tressel).
  
• sCam Newton is not proved to have taken money, but there's a lot of smoke, and they rubber-stamp him so fast people barely knew there was an investigation.
  

 

It's hard to say what they'll do here. Maybe they're done. Maybe they drop the hammer. But it's important to note that Tressel didn't "come clean," he got caught. That's a key point here.

[kchusker_chris]

I'd say Bruce Pearl may be the best indication as to what they'll do with him - which is why I think he'll be pushed out. If not before this season, then definately after it. Tressel is a little more entrenched at OSU than Pearl was at TN, and Pearl didn't have a contract which is why the divorce was easier than it will be with Tressel - but regardless I feel like he won't be coaching much longer.

 

This is not the first transgression. Troy Smith was taking money from boosters. Clarret was suspended for a year for lying to investigators about taking money. A large number of Tressel's high profile players have been suspended by the NCAA for shady things. The list is more than likely much longer.

[walksalone]

I'm more worried about the Buffs getting their asses handed to themselves in the juggernaut that is the PaC 12, than I am about Bo leaving to Ohio St

[okaive]

Here is the newest link that I can find on Tressel and the NCAA.

 

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-ohiost-tressel

[Fuzzy]

What are the odds that Herby gets a look at coaching the Buckeyes?

 

Isn't Ohio State like Meyer's dream job? or was that Florida? Meyer might be enticed to comeback to coaching, but i think the timing is sort of off though, i mean he just retired for health reasons. Now if Tressel is gone after this upcming season, then i can see Meyer making a comeback by summer of next year, but its hard to say.

 

But i don't think there is any reason for us to be nervous, even if Tressel is fired.

[okaive]

Hopefully they will make an example out of Tressel and hit them hard. Although I do want a good game come time when we meet them. If they just slap him on the wrist now, it will open the flood gates for the rest of the colleges.

[Husker from Kansas]

i do not dislike tressel at all, but the ncaa needs to make somewhat of an example of him and hit him pretty hard, maybe suspend him for the season and make tOSU lose some scholarships and postseason play. they need to show that lying to them is not going to stand any longer and there are severe punishments for doing so, and that they wont let the integrity of the game be comprimised like it has been. thats my opinion, but chances are this kinda thing will happen again in a few years and that coach will be punished totally differently cuz the ncaa is a joke when it comes to enforcing the rules and holding everybody to the same standard

[It'sNotAFakeID]

The NCAA is notorious for slow balling issues like this. The only action I forsee is if Ohio State fires Tressel, but even that won't save him. It's a mess for tOSU, but I don't think anything will get done before the end of the upcoming season.

[Coqui]

If Tressel goes, Luke Fickell will more than likely be the next coach.

[dylan]

luckily we have an AD with foresight that made it clear to bo just how valued he is and didn't piddle around.

[huskerscott]

If Tressel goes, Luke Fickell will more than likely be the next coach.

I agree also. If Tressel does get the axe, assuming it would be before the season, Fickell I think would get the job on an interim to permanent basis. Meaning he would have a full season to basically interview for the job. If the firing occurs after the season, I think they would go after Meyer, Gruden, and Stoops. Meyer would be a year out of football rested and ready to get after it. But Florida has had players problems in the past, dealing with the police. I read somewhere that Florida had like 30 arrests since Urban became head coach. Stoops and Gruden seems to be on everybodies short list.

 

My guess though is that if Tressel is fired after the season that AD would want that entire staff cleaned out, thats why Fickell would be automatically disqualified for the job. Maybe I havent dug around enough, but did assistant coaches know about what was going on also or was it just Tressel.

[okaive]

The only stoops that they will get is Mike. Bob has repeatedly said that he won't leave OU.

[da skers]

There was reason to be nervous about the OSU issues. Why do you think this new contract for Bo all came out at this time? I think most everything that would have given Bo a reason to leave is taken care of now. He's better paid, he's got a jet for personal use as well as recruiting, and Pearlman talking about what a good coach he is and how we worked hard to keep him. The latter will erase a lot from after the ATM.

 

Its also my understanding that there have been 13 coaches charged with the same NCAA violations as Tressel and only 1 has keep their job. From the sounds of it....Tressel staying is 50/50 at best. The board at OSU would like Stoops and it sounds like they feel there is a good chance he'll listen. That could be their arrogance though. And from the sounds of it Urban has stated he is interested in that job depending on the NCAA sanctions.