Another shoe to drop in the shoe?
I have no idea about the veracity of this information. But, given this qualification, it seems plausible enough to post.
April 13 tweet from:
SPORTSbyBROOKS @SPORTSbyBROOKS
@PSchrags (FOX SPORTS, FOX NEWS, ESQUIRE.COM)
"Didu kno Jim Tressel hired his brother Dic onto Ohio St. Staff as designated bagman for extra bennies for players? You will soon."
Some may question the sources of this information (and RT), but I I would not be surprised if it is true. I remember when, during the MoC scandal, JT replaced an apparently less "trusted" staff member with his own brother. I asked at the time, why he would do so. The question now seems rhetorical.
If the info in this tweet is true, and JT's brother is now found to be involved in the extra benefits,is this a repeat violation for Ohio (he's still on Meyer's staff, isn't he) ?
I wonder if the predicted revelation of JT's brothers' role has anything to do with new info from the ESPN-Ohio lawsuit.
https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/tressel%20brother
EDIT ADDITION BY OP: quote from SI's Pulitzer prize winning, George Dohrmann:
"A year later, after he left the university, Clarett told ESPN that he wasn't forthcoming with the NCAA because it would have meant ratting on teammates and coaches. He alleged that Tressel had arranged cars for him to use and that the coach's older brother Dick, who was then the Buckeyes' director of football operations (he is now the team's running backs coach), arranged lucrative no-show jobs for players. (Jim and Dick Tressel have denied the allegations.) Clarett added that coaches connected him with boosters who gave him thousands of dollars.
The NCAA never sanctioned Ohio State for any of those allegations. Clarett didn't respond when investigators tried to contact him after the ESPN story, so they weren't able to proceed. Like the Youngstown State whistle-blower years earlier, Clarett was dismissed as disgruntled."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1186822/3/in…
The reason to give it at least some weight is everyone with common sense knows the NCAA short legged their investigation on the Tressel issues. They basically let Ohio write the report and get it over with way quicker than the situation deserved. With that reality hovering over the whole deal, leaks coming out about how pervasive and blatant the Tressel era was in dubiously stockpiling talent shoud be of no surprise.
The source notwithstanding, the NCAA investigation was garbage and was designed to limit the scope while still providing appearance of serious punishment.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:00 PM ^
I would love for this to be legit, although I won't lose sleep if it isn't. However, it would do several things:
- It would put a spotlight on the NCAA and their failings.
- It would be a constant "drip, drip, drip" that would continue to hang over Ohio.
- It would make it easier for several recruits (Bosa, Treadwell, Isaac) to rule out going to Ohio.
I have always thought that there was an awful lot of stuff that never came out. (for instance, free loaner cars?) If the pressure ratchets up again, and a key insider or two cracks, that would be great. Frankly, it bugs me that Ohio basically skated after years of unfair advantage. Let them suffer more (another year of bowl ban? more lost scholarships?) to restore competitive balance.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:36 PM ^
I recall that, during the time of the Clarret investigation, Tressel's brother, after being brought in to replace a less trustworthy coach—was accused of having silently hooked players up with jobs that gave pay for no work. (I think the accusation came from Clarett but am not yet sure).
At that time, the NCAA evidently did not conclude that players got paid for little or no work--and they let Ohio off scot free---even though we now know it recently concluded that similar violations did occur under Jim Tressel.
Perhaps the sportwriters have dug up something related to this prior accusation--but I am merely speculating.
didn't come to Ohio State until 2004; Mo was long gone at that point.
but the investigation of the clarett matter, and the threat of further revelations, were not over. So, Jim Tressel needed someone he could "trust".
April 17th, 2012 at 10:52 PM ^
April 17th, 2012 at 10:57 PM ^
I would guess the SportsByBrooks info is not coming from the lawsuit. The documents released by OSU thus far have been out there for months, and it's bland stuff that's probably been combed through a thousand times.
The really good documents, which are the reason for the lawsuit, are still under lock and key. If ESPN wins then we all get to see them and we hopefully see a front page story or, inshallah, another major NCAA violation.
The Ohio Supreme Court hasn't released its opinion yet. They've been sitting on it for months, and I'm expecting to see a decision soon. I've been checking every day to no avail.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:54 PM ^
they all knew. They flaunted it, all over town. You can't go into a bar in Columbus without signed Buckeye memorabilia hanging from a wall. They're fukin' proud of it.
and the NCAA pretty much let off the hook with a slap on the wrist if they fired the coach.
sickening.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:56 PM ^
The main thing you have to ask yourself is does it really matter. The ncaa has closed the case on Tressel and Osu and obviously didn't want to hammer the program. If more evidence of further wrong doing came up relating to the Tressel incident , i'm sure the ncaa would not even publicly say anything on the subject unless pushed and then only say something like the situation is already handled.
Sports by brooks had a laundry list of violations from the Tressel era that he reported on but, you never heard much of anything about from the NCAA. He did the same thing to Alabama. if no other media source is reporting on this I'd read for entertainment and nothing else.
April 17th, 2012 at 11:02 PM ^
The timing could be key.
I believe Emmert is going to ask the NCAA to ratchet up penalties during the NCAA board meeting this month . Assuming for the sake of delight that the new penalties are put in place, I wonder if they would reach back to OSU violations that occurred before the new penalties but were only discovered after the new penalties took effect.
April 17th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ^
But I hate to be an unscrupulous weasel even more. I won't throw a single stone till something is at least somewhat confirmed. If somebody runs into a theater and shouts FIRE, I don't assume the theater is burning down.
April 18th, 2012 at 10:01 AM ^
just because you question a superficial NCAA investigation and will not let these questions die. While I do not know if there is truth to the twitter accusations, and clearly said so, I also do not think that the matter should be closed.
Do you really think that Jim Tressel's brother--and everyone else at OSU--knew nothing about the extra benefits that players were getting? And if they knew and did nothing, weren't they too violating NCAA rules? And if they did so, on a wide scale, shouldn't the NCAA have come up with a determination of LOIC, and not the lesser, FTM charge?
Maybe it would be unlikely to expect the NCAA to change their ruling. However, complacency among the reading public almost assures this.
April 18th, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^
I agree. However, if you were watching a movie in a theater that had caught fire several times already and someone ran in and yelled FIRE, you might be more inclined to believe them.
This Sports by Brooks character is not playing with a full deck.
Dick Tressel left OSU after the 2011 season and was never on Meyer's staff. Just took a new job at MN college football program as OC (Carleton College).
maybe you want to ban him from Twitter too
April 18th, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^
while you are at it....
April 18th, 2012 at 11:50 AM ^
JT brought in his brother because he was a pretty good coach. After all, Look at the RB production we had from 2005 on. Pittman, Beanie, Herron all turned out well for us. Also, he helped recruit most of the current RB's on the team and we have very good depth there. So it's not like the guy was just some cronie that JT brought in as a yes man. After all, the RB's were our only offense at times during the last few years.
As far as SbB... well, I don't even think I have to add anything. Everyone knows how "dead on" he always is.
NEver trust Brooks.