The Jim Tressel Saga

[knapplc]

It would be nice to see Ohio State at full strength when they come to Lincoln.... but more and more it's looking like they'll be a program breaking in a new coach. If anything, I doubt Tressel makes the trip - he'll either be gone or suspended much longer by the NCAA.

Ohio State football: NCAA penalties could be severe
Ohio State University is potentially facing the most severe NCAA penalties to its storied football program as punishment for coach Jim Tressel's failure to disclose his knowledge of violations and use of ineligible players during this past season.

In a "notice of allegations" given to Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee on Friday and obtained by The Dispatch, the NCAA accused Tressel of dishonesty for hiding violations by seven current and former players who sold awards and equipment to a tattoo-parlor owner.

Ohio State, however, was not cited for "failure to monitor" or "failure of institutional control" violations, which would likely lead to the harshest of penalties. Such penalties are typically imposed when a university's compliance program is weak.

"That was very significant," a source close to the investigation told The Dispatch today.

...

The best-case scenario for Ohio State is the NCAA accepting the university's self-imposed sanctions on Tressel, which include a $250,000 fine and five-game suspension. The worst-case scenario is a range of sanctions that could prevent the Buckeyes from playing in the Big Ten Championship and a bowl game next season and strip OSU of last year's victories and Big Ten title.

...

The NCAA warned that it could treat Ohio State as a repeat offender stemming from the violations involving former quarterback Troy Smith, who took $500 from a booster and former men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien, who gave $6,000 to a recruit.

That finding is the most damning and potentially most damaging because repeat offenders face post-season bans, the entire coaching staff could be suspended and the school could lose scholarships, according to NCAA rules.

"It was reported that Jim Tressel, head football coach, failed to deport himself in accordance with the honesty and integrity normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics and violated ethical-conduct legislation," the 13-page NCAA document says.

Stewart Mandel thinks Tressel is done:

Jim Tressel's Ohio State tenure all but over after NCAA allegations
What has been whispered for nearly two months took a significant step toward becoming reality Monday: Jim Tressel's tenure at Ohio State is numbered. It may even be over before the end of the calendar year.

The NCAA sent a Notice of Allegations to the school last Friday, less than seven weeks since Ohio State self-reported Tressel's violation on March 8, virtually warp-speed for the governing body. As expected, the NCAA accused Tressel of ethical misconduct for failing to inform OSU officials of an e-mail tip he received that at least two of his current players were selling memorabilia to a local tattoo parlor owner and stated that Tressel "knowingly provided false information to the NCAA" by signing a compliance form last September stating he knew of no potential violations by his players. The letter also cites the school for using ineligible players last season.

 

[knapplc]

Found this as well, from a 2009 article in the Columbus Dispatch:

Oversight vs. privacy at OSUNationally, the Buckeyes rank high for NCAA violations, many of them minor and self-reported. OSU also is among schools that put a clamp on details about investigations, saying a federal law prohibits their release.

Sunday, May 31, 2009 3:16 AM

By Jill Riepenhoff and Todd Jones

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

An NCAA investigator came to Columbus last summer and questioned an Ohio State football player about the special treatment he received during his campus recruiting visits.

The Dispatch learned about the incident through a public-records request for NCAA violations, but few details are known.

OSU edited the records, removing the football player's identity, where he stayed and the dates of his visit. Officials said they had to protect his privacy -- and that of every other athlete -- because of a federal law.

Since 2000, Ohio State has reported to the NCAA more than 375 violations -- the most of any of the 69 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that provided documents to The Dispatch through public-records requests. Most infractions were minor -- a coach called a recruit too many times, for example. Others, however, left athletes benched, fined or at least embarrassed.

Some excerpts from this story:

• Football coach Jim Tressel said before the national championship game against Florida in 2007 that one player could miss the game because of an injury. Records show that one benched player had failed a drug test four days before the game, which disqualified him from competition. That same player also missed the entire 2005 season.

• When an OSU football recruit suddenly left town before classes began in 2002, former athletic director Andy Geiger said only that it wasn't an academic problem. He didn't elaborate. Records show that the recruit and his family had received thousands of dollars in financial help, against NCAA rules.

• Tressel has used the term "violation of team rules" to explain the suspensions of at least 10 players. Such infractions can range from missing curfew or class to criminal behavior. One of those team-rule violators was Troy Smith, who missed two games as a penalty for accepting cash from a booster. Another was involved in an academic-fraud investigation by Ohio State. University officials found no wrongdoing but censored the public report so heavily that it was impossible to know what happened.

 

[knapplc]

Here is the Notice of Allegations and Cover Letter that Ohio State received today.

 

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

This really unfortunate for the conference.

 

[chamrocck]

This really unfortunate for the conference.

I look at it this way...OSU was going to be top dog in the conference unless we beat them consistently over several years. Well, here is our chance to grab the top spot early. Keep our nose clean and make sure we beat these guys as the bad press follows them next few seasons. If we rip off a few wins and a couple conference championships, OSU would be knocked down a notch. The same thing just happened as Oregon has now dethroned USC in the Pac 12. We can become the top program in the Big 10 now and earlier than probably most imagined.

 

[CornHOLIO]

All because of those evil tattoos! chuckleshuffle

 

[NUance]

Ohio State football players are alleged to have improperly traded dozens of items to the owner of a tattoo parlor, receiving tattoos, $14,000 and in one case a sport-utility vehicle, according to a newspaper report. LINK

This can't be good for Tressel. Ya gotta think he's done now. Don't you?

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

This really unfortunate for the conference.

I look at it this way...OSU was going to be top dog in the conference unless we beat them consistently over several years. Well, here is our chance to grab the top spot early. Keep our nose clean and make sure we beat these guys as the bad press follows them next few seasons. If we rip off a few wins and a couple conference championships, OSU would be knocked down a notch. The same thing just happened as Oregon has now dethroned USC in the Pac 12. We can become the top program in the Big 10 now and earlier than probably most imagined.

Nah. They'll hold you down at least at first. They wouldn't allow an outsider to come in and take over.

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

 

[VA Husker Fan]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

 

[NUance]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

Let's not forget Pete Carroll.

 

[husker_99]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

Let's not forget Pete Carroll.

Pete wasn't forced out he wanted to go back to the Pros.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

thanks I didn't know about Switzer's departure.

In PC's case, I was thinking of how the bottom fell out from under the team in late 2009.

 

[NUance]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

Let's not forget Pete Carroll.

Pete wasn't forced out he wanted to go back to the Pros.

Ha ha! I guess technically you are right. Pete Carroll skipped out to Seattle on the eve of the Reggie Bush scandal breaking. If he’d stayed a few more months at USC the ncaa would have strung him up by the nutsack.

 

[knapplc]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

Let's not forget Pete Carroll.

Pete wasn't forced out he wanted to go back to the Pros.

No, Pete didn't want to go back to the Pros. He loved being king of college football.

You can't possibly tell me Pete Carroll was biding his time at USC just waiting for that sweet Seattle Seahawks gig to open up.

 

[huskerscott]

Has any coach ever been forced out at this peak?

Switzer is the most obvious one I can think of, his last 4 years OU finished 3, 3, 3, 14 and went 42-6. Maybe not quite his peak, but Tressel isn't at his peak either. There must've been others, just can't think of them right now.

Let's not forget Pete Carroll.

Pete wasn't forced out he wanted to go back to the Pros.

No, Pete didn't want to go back to the Pros. He loved being king of college football.

You can't possibly tell me Pete Carroll was biding his time at USC just waiting for that sweet Seattle Seahawks gig to open up.

Pete left as the ship was sinking. Seahawks gig was pure coincidence. He knew the NCAA was gonna come down hard, he knew that he would most likely be forced out, his ego was too big for him handle that.