Attorney summarizes the NCAA case vs. Tressel . . .
Interesting article on the Tressel situation. Lays it out. IMO, the best thing Tressel could do for OSU football is to resign right now.
He clearly isn't going to do that, and it is to our advantage that he doesn't.
http://www.foxsportsohio.com/03/30/11/Attorney-Could-get-much-worse-for…
and it's nice to hear from an attorney's point of view. The underlying question, though, is still whether or not the NCAA will treat tsio as they've treated the non-giants of the college game. This may be how they're normally treated, but for Tressel.......
No but seriously, fire his ass. That guy is an ATTORNEY.
March 31st, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^
OSU will not fire Tressel. Tressel's sick of the NCAA, but he's not gonna leave in shame and dishonor. He will take a few years to build everything back up again, I think. Then he'll leave.
March 31st, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
I would still like to see Tressel fire Gee. That would be a pretty funny press conference. And technically, he has sort of asked for it.
There are one of two things going on right now.
<br>1) OSU and Tressel is totally oblivious to how serious this is and think their recent successes will protect them from anything serious.
<br>2) They are waiting until the end if the season for Tressel to resign, thus projecting stability to recruits and also giving them a good shot at another B1G championship. At the end, Tressel will resign and a coaching search takes place, everything forgotten.
<br>Number 2 is the smart play, as it gives them the best chance for success this year, and allows them to get recruits this year. I think this is what they are doing.
It will give Hoke an opportunity to do some negative recruiting, if only he will take the bait.
Crosses fingers...
I would not doubt that #2 has already been discussed by tressel and the AD and Pres. I bet they already told him/he told them that its over after this season.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^
#2 does seem like the smart move. However, it seems like the equivalent of "let's postpone the players' suspensions until next season so they can play in the bowl game." Everybody in the world knows that deal made OSU smell worse than it already does.
Knowing you're going to fire Tressel, but keeping him for another year to maintain stability, keep the recruits, win the Big 10.... can even OSU weather the media storm this move would create?
March 31st, 2011 at 12:07 PM ^
I don't think they could be doing #2 because I don't think that really solves anything. It might help you get a better season this year than doing a coaching search over the summer, but I don't think eventually getting around to firing him (or Tressel resigning) placates the NCAA very much--from their perspective, it's not just that the coach eventually gets fired, I think it's important that the school take it seriously and keeping a coach for 8 months and then firing him isn't any indication of that.
Firing a coach when spring practice is done seems like just about the best timing for me. You're "responding quickly" to the discover of this information, and that's about the best you can hope to do at this point with respect to the NCAA. All the recruits for next year are locked in and you've got plenty of time to get recruiting ramped up for the following year. The coach also has plenty of time to get ready for fall practice. A coach's first year is important in setting their reputation at the school, and a new coach now starts with an experienced starting QB, at least for most of the Big Ten season.
By waiting to fire Tressel, OSU is able to take the time to find his replacement. I believe this is their logic. Plain and simple.
1. Urban Meyer
2. Urban Meyer
3. Keep Tressel
I honestly think the media has no idea what they are talking about. Ohio State punishment for basketball happened in 2004-2005 when they were banned and unable to go to a post-season for an event that happened in 1999. I get that the NCAA will punish them, but it won't be for a repeat violation like these media types seem to think. That's just poor journalism...
I haven't looked it up but I remember there being a number of appeals and delays in the O'Brien case even after it was deemed "final" the first time. So maybe they are on to something here but I could be wrong. (we can only hope theyre right).
Ohio State is a repeat violator. There is no question about that. The five-year clock starts running at the time the NCAA hands down the punishment, which was in 2006.
https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/exec/miSearch
"Ohio State University shall be subject to the provisions of NCAA Bylaw 19.5.2.3, concerning repeat violators, for a five-year period beginning on the effective date of the penalties in this case, March 10, 2006."
This is why UM was deemed a repeat violator for stretch-gate, as the Ed Martin scandal sanctions were handed down sometime in spring 2003 (IIRC) and the improper stretching occured just barely within 5 years of that date.
Due to appeals and what-not, some of the penalties didn't officially begin until March 2006 (such as O'Brien's show-cause).
There is a descrepency to figure out though... I was under the impression that "repeat offender" status occured when you accumulated more violations while still on probation (even if in another sport). OSU's hoops probation has ended (was 3.5 years). Everyone keeps talking about this 5 year window though, and that definitely has NOT passed when these things occured.
"It could be months, and perhaps even more than one year, before the NCAA issues a ruling on the Tressel matter."
I hope for the dark cloud to be over C-bus all year, UM beats them in November and then the NCAA ruling comes out after. 2011.Best.Year.Ever.
It's not just a case against Tressel. It should be a case against the Ohio State athletic department. When the coach is corrupt, the institution should have to pay too.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:10 AM ^
Isn't that exactly how the NCAA operates? Aren't most people's complaints that rulings and sanctions don't follow coaches from one institution to another (think Kiffin, Calipari)?
I keep hearing that Bruce Pearl's lying to the NCAA is going to follow him instead of being eaten entirely by the school. If that's the case, Tressel might be in deeper than we can imagine.
from day one, that anything OSU can do to punish Tressel will only show the NCAA that you accept responsibility for the actions of your HC. It will not lessen any penalty. IF OSU is "forced" to fire Tressel, it will only be a show of responsibility. Tressel should indeed "man-up" and save face (what little is left). I dont think theres really much OSU can do now to soften any penalty coming down in the future. I only think they can come off as doing what they knew was right after the fact. Will it "save face" to most people? I doubt it. Way too little, way too late. I love it! OSU looks stupid right now. Very stupid.
If this IS all on JT, OSU could most certainly help their cause by cutting ties. It may not "lessen" their penalty, but every day he's around you risk more being found out (i.e. having condoned it by allowing him to stay). Cutting out your own cancer early will earn you some points.
However... I imagine SOMEONE had to know about some of this stuff, and there's only one person who could spill that... JT himself - he's the one who would have passed it on. They don't want to risk firing him (showing lack of support/appreciation) lest he take them down with him in spite.
He's a company man, and the whole reason he is in trouble and would be fired is his own decision not to report the violations when he first knew about them.
I think they look at Cam Newton and think we can weather through this.
March 31st, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
I think by immediately stating that Tressel would not be fired (not even taking time to make the decision or investigating further themselves), OSU has more or less accepted responsibility for his behavior. They're saying that Tressel's behavior is so far from a firable offense at OSU that they didn't even need to blink before making that decision. By acknowledging that the accusations are true and still retaining the coach, they are accepting responsibility for his actions far more than any other action could.
If the NCAA is going to come down hard, you're probably going to lose Tressel anyways, so why not fire him yourself and make it look like you run a tight ship at the AD level? Particularly with the concern that OSU will be a repeat-offender and an offender across sports (ie it's an athletics department issue, not a single sport issue), I don't think you can afford to look like you don't take this as seriously as the NCAA does.
"What we self-reported today is a 10.1 violation,” Smith said. “It's a major violation.”
He knows its a major violation, and they need to be treated, and eventually punished like it was a major violation. Give 'em hell!
The longer the better. If TSIO is as incompetent at handling this as Michigan was at handling the Ed Martin Fiasco, we could see another period like the one where Michigan enjoyed a 10-2-1 record against TSIO. Obviously, there are no ties now, but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing 10-3 or 11-2 out of the next 13 years.
The only thing that concerns me is that TSIO has "rebounded" so well from their basketball sanctions. They less than five years removed from sanctions and are the best program in the Big Ten. I want to see them dig themselves into a post Martin-esque hole and have to put up with the kind of crap they have been giving the last nine years.
Since the internet age hadn't fully arrived during Michigan's 10-2-1 period, we haven't really had a chance to skewer TSIO the way they have us. Revenge, however, is sweet.
Yeah, their basketball program has rebounded. But if this stuff is going on in the football program, what makes you think it's not going on with the basketball program? Have you seen some of the tat's on the basketball team?????
He's the very same doofus that the Freep was going to for quotes, like, every day.
Look; if you perform your very own MGoSearch for "buckner," and disregard Quinn, there are a half-dozen or so mentions, by Brian, of Michael Buckner, commentator extraordinaire.
This is representative:
http://mgoblog.com/content/unverified-voracity-meant-do
I am not going to start taking "Michael Buckner" seriously now, when he was not a serious source for information on the Michigan kerfuffle.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:07 AM ^
competitor with the firm who OSU did hire.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:17 AM ^
It wasn't Lightfoot, was it? Gene Marsh at Lightfoot is an OSU alum. He was our attorney.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:20 AM ^
Compliance Group.
This is probably the third article saying "OSU recommended a five game suspension."
Um, no...actually they didn't. OSU recommended a two game suspension, and when it hit the fan in the media Jim Tressel recommended he be suspended five games. The OSU administration has consistently shown zero concern with what happened and was a part of the cover up. Saying the school recommended the five game penalty is close to lying.
March 31st, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^
Exactly. I said the exact same thing yesterday. OSU recommended a 2 game suspension (2 games against 2 MAC opponents) and even that was painful enough for them.
I don't know why all these articles keep referring to OSU taking a stand with this 5 game suspension lie.
March 31st, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
Remember, the uOS has enough media muscle to force all the non-OSU slappy commentators off the airwaves. Simple matters like "facts" are probably not of the utmost importance for reporters in today's Columbus media climate.
I'm not sold on the fact that Tressel himself recommended a five-game suspension.
Personally, I think OSU screwed this up royally and imposed the additional suspension on Tressel. For the MSM, they just invented the story that it was Tressel who requested it to save face from that atrocious non-apology, bullshit spewing press conference.
So nothing new to what rational people should expect.
Every 10.1 case involving an active coach has included a show-cause.
Most repeat violators get hammered.
The NCAA takes forever to do anything.
March 31st, 2011 at 12:55 PM ^
Still music to my ears. I'm drinking a lot of tears in Cbus these days.
My hunch is that The Vest wants to coach through next season and then will resign before the NCAA finalizes its report and sanctions.
I don't believe one word of this article. It was written by an attorney and all attorneys are a--holes. I know this for a fact.
Especially ones concerned with Profit.
What about profit-motivated attorneys who do pro-bono work for the poor people of Bolivia?
They're all a--holes. They constantly make my job difficult, insisting on changes to language in documents that I draft and constantly calling me bothering me when I'm trying to post on this Board. I hate them.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^
Mr. Rainmaker was an exception.
It gets trickier there, but I think it's going to depend on what type of Bolivian clients a lawyer like that takes from here on out.
Some Bolivians shouldn't come back, and profit motivated lawyers need to remember that.
They were reading the letter from the OSU athletic department to the NCAA on WTKA yesterday, and in that letter, Gene Smith used the same bullshit excuse that Tressel used, which is that he kept it secret to protect confidentiality and avoid interfering in a federal investigation. But now we know that's a lie, so Gene Smith has lied in writing to the NCAA. Both the AD and the coach have lied to the NCAA in writing, and the coach knowingly played ineligible players for an entire season. There's probably a lot more under the surface. The only question is what we can get in writing.
OSU needs to be made an example of, big time. All of this "Fire Tressel" business does OSU a huge favor by making it sound like a one man show, which means that if he gets fired, OSU mostly gets away with it. On top of that, it might galvanize the team and create a martyr effect.
March 31st, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
Interesting. But not surprising at all about Gene Smith. What's the penalty for an Athletic Director lying to the NCAA? Does the head coach get all the blame?
The comments to that article are hilarious.
especially salanatoli's...
March 31st, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^
"hey the guy won a lot of games! So we have to accept his excuses! It'd be a completely different matter if he lost a lot, but since he's got a good record...."
Holy merde.
If we were to rip away the veil, sure, that's actually the way the college sports world works. But to actually state it aloud? As your best argument? It effin' boggles the mind. BOGGLES.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:08 AM ^
I Dont get it,
Tressel is one of the most respected and successful coaches
in the history of the game. Why are these silly and minor regulations important?
It would be one thing if he were a nobody with a losing record - I wouldn't have
any problem firing someone like that. But Tressel has talent and this shouldn't
derail another national championship run by the Buckeyes. Why doesn't the NCAA
take a look at Michigan - the dirtiest and most corrupt program in the country.
I've been told of thousands of dollars are routinely paid out to even second
stringers. Michigan should get the death penatly for all NCAA sports and never
be allowed to compete again
No response was necessary. All I could do was shake my head and laugh.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^
He should write a letter to Gee and Smith and ask why they think Tressel deserves that really harsh suspension and that huge fine.