The Claw

April 27th, 2011 at 4:48 PM ^

Then maybe those idiots will quit calling me up for donations just because I went there.  But then again, I get a kick of saying I spend my money on Michigan Athletics, not your school.

Wolvercane

April 27th, 2011 at 5:12 PM ^

Maybe your response should be something closer to this: I refuse to support an academic insitution that fails to have the integrity to uphold basic ethics when faced with sacrificing a few wins on the football field. Let me know when you have a university president who is not scared of the football coach. 

jls1144

April 27th, 2011 at 5:18 PM ^

I love how the supporters continue to tout....

 

The kids just sold their own property.

 

Get over it.  It's about your coach and the cover up. 

Waters Demos

April 27th, 2011 at 8:16 PM ^

There are certain rules they must abide by in order to be eligible to play.  They failed to abide by them, and they were ineligible.  No one's claiming that they're criminals.

Moreover - why aren't more OSU fans pissed off at the kids?  How much could B1G championships and wins over their chief rivals possibly mean to them when they sell the stuff associated with those accomplishments? 

I'd be interested to know how some of you would feel about an M player if he did the same thing.  Wouldn't you be pissed off?  If C-Webb's reputation has taken a hit when he just took money and didn't sell items associated with his M accomplishments, I can only imagine what the reaction would have been if he did what TP and co. did (which, to my mind, is significantly worse). 

BlueDragon

April 28th, 2011 at 12:19 AM ^

Besides TP losing his scholarship, what would you, as an allegedly rational OSU fan, consider a fair punishment for Tressel, the players, and the program WRT the allegations as they stand today?

Urban Warfare

April 28th, 2011 at 8:15 PM ^

suspensions, and I don't know that I'd impose sanctions on the program beyond vacating wins and maybe a couple years of probation.  It seems pretty clear that Tressel kept the rest of the athletic department in the dark, and once the school found out about the issue, they self-reported and imposed punishments.   Story I'm hearing from folks at OSU is that the decision to increase Tressel's suspension wasn't really his idea, and Tressel actually fought against it before running out and announcing it.   That's pissed off a lot of people, and I'd be surprised if Tressel goes beyond this season.

justingoblue

April 29th, 2011 at 9:08 AM ^

FWIW, I agree. The school needs a few years probation because that's what always happens, the wins obviously need to be vacated and honestly it's best for everyone (especially you guys I think) if Tressel moves on. I really don't get the line being put out by Gee and Smith right now. I think they're doing some real damage to your team, and Gee really embarrassed your school, IMO.

BlueDragon

April 29th, 2011 at 7:07 PM ^

2010 for sure, but Clarett is still a question mark in my book.  I don't know if the NCAA would consider Troy Smith's $500 handshake job ban-hammer-worthy, but that's still an open debate as well.

@JGB--Gordon Gee is an empty suit and everyone knows it.  He's there to schmooze with big donors and put a friendly face on the program.

Gary_B

April 28th, 2011 at 8:48 AM ^

Pryor doesn't have the brains to be a trained monkey in the circus, let alone a ringleader of any sort. I seriously believe that this has been going on for a while and he adopted the actions of star athletes that came before him. Pittman, Smith, and Clarrett, just to name a few that have been caught up in something or have publicly acknowledged taking extra benefits.

justingoblue

April 27th, 2011 at 5:28 PM ^

Didn't OSU end up owing O'Brien his buyout after he sued them? I doubt Tressel would sue but it seems like pretty similar circumstances.

Also, didn't we talk about this with RR and wasn't the consensus that after the school stood behind him they had a far weaker case for firing with cause?

RONick

April 27th, 2011 at 6:37 PM ^

I think the idea was that we supported him and gave him a chance by standing behind him.  When he still did not meet expectations W/L wise (along with the NCAA/stretching issues) we then had cause to fire him.

Maybe I am lost, but that seems to be the logic I am following there.

IndyBlue

April 27th, 2011 at 6:52 PM ^

Wins/Losses are not "cause" to fire a coach.  Of course they really are, but in terms of firing a coach for "cause" in regards to an employment contract, it usually has something to do with breaking rules, cheating, lying, etc. like the examples in the article.  You still have to pay the buyout if it's just wins/losses, not if he's breaking the rules.

wesq

April 27th, 2011 at 6:06 PM ^

He quotes Tressel's contract and it seems pretty airtight from a legal standpoint they basically spell out this exact situation in multiple clauses as cause for termination (unless Tressel did notify Smith which at this point would be a thousand times worse for OSU).  He even sites O'brien as the reason his contract is so specific.

andrewG

April 27th, 2011 at 6:01 PM ^

By standing behind him, the university can claim it did everything it could to support the coach. If the sanctions come down because of the coach's actions, then the university can fire the coach with cause. If the university distances itself from the coach after the allegations, the coach can claim he was made a fall guy and the university was "out to get him" and therefore didn't have cause. This is an oversimplification, but that was my understanding during the RR saga.

Anyone else have more insight on this than me??

justingoblue

April 27th, 2011 at 6:06 PM ^

That does make a good amount of sense, but I also think there was a "ticking clock" so to speak; they could only fire him within a reasonable amount of time after learning of his violations.

This might have been more important since some wanted to use it as an excuse to can RR months later with no further allegations, I don't know.

IndyBlue

April 27th, 2011 at 6:56 PM ^

I think it would definitely be reasonable, and the school would still have "cause," if they waited for the punishment to come down before making the decision to fire.  You don't have to fire someone on first notice of a violation for the firing to "for cause."  It's reasonable to allow the school to look at the sanctions then decide if it's worth it to keep the coach.

Bobby Boucher

April 27th, 2011 at 8:13 PM ^

I don't care what any sports writer says, Tressel isn't going to be fired.  I'm OSU is willing to trade a few scholarships and a couple vacated wins for guaranteed 10 win seasons by keeping Tressel. 

2plankr

April 27th, 2011 at 9:08 PM ^

10.1c = show cause.  Show cause = fired.  They've already admitted he broke 10.1c

the wins are getting vacated regardless.  schollies i dont know but then even after all that theyd have to explain to the ncaa COI why they should be allowed to not fire him for this offense (which has never even been tried for a HC, and i dont think this case has any chance of being the first success, though they may have the arrogance to try it)

Its over, I'm convinced (i think)  the only out is that they didnt hit him with failure to maintain atmosphere of compliance, which, wtf?

bluesouth

April 27th, 2011 at 9:30 PM ^

fire Jim Tressel at some point probably after the sanctions or the result of the NCAA meeting in Aug.  But, they will give him a buyout.  The buy out is almost sacred imo.  My logic is what coach is going to come there and possibly risk not getting a buy out not if but when he is asked errr is fired.   I don't really remember any coach being fired in recent memory and did not get at least a portion of the buyout. 

MGlobules

April 27th, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^

are working through the scenarios. (That's the AD's job.)

My guess is that they wait until after the NCAA rules, then quietly terminate, say they had no choice. Fans will have gone through their x phases of mourning by then, be ready to move on (it'll be kind of a crappy season, that will help make cutting him loose easier). By then Tressel has had a chance to come back--"my players promised they would, and I wasn't going to let them down by not coming back myself"--issue a few more mea culpas, get out a story they can all live with ("good guy, tough situation, made a mistake").

They'll also want to take their time eyeballing the coaching situation, even quietly getting someone lined up. . . All in all, they're looking for a soft landing. 

A partial buyout, maybe? They'll barely mention his transgressions as they thank him for his service, talk about his class. . . 

Everyone Murders

April 28th, 2011 at 9:14 AM ^

I know what H.L. Mencken said, but this time I don't think it's about the money - at least in a micro sense.  $3.7M would be a drop in the bucket to a program the size of OSU.

I haven't reviewed the contract, and take Hinton at his word that Tressel can be discharged for cause without compensation (that's how most of these deals work), but IMHO the threat of a buyout wouldn't change OSU's decision.  They're likely more worried about balancing their institution's reputation for integrity with the desires of their rabid fan base.