NCAA Inquiry Fully Underway/SI Article Release Open Thread

Submitted by Geaux_Blue on

(HT: BryanDFischer)

Reports emerging that the SI article will hit the internets around 7:30-8 pm tonight. Multiple threads with great comments/pictures are accumulating and are Welcome Reposts as we build towards The Story.

Further, Twitter is abuzz that the NCAA is well on its way of investigating OSU for violations (http://bit.ly/kpz4qA).

From what I've heard, the SI report involves the fact Tressel may have had direct knowledge that, specifically, Pryor was involved in car issues and chose not to escalate matter or look further (Youngstown much?). This is the source of the "Pryor is Done" stories, AFAIK, and may lead to an epic level of Lack of Institutional Control when paired with "I Hope He Doesn't Fire Me" comments. Still don't think it's going to be the Bomb that everyone's hoping for that connects all the dots - this might be left for the NCAA to complete. (Edit: 11Warriors post reflects same info as I mentioned).

Anyways... for now... Worst State Ever... (HT: WFNY)

 
 
 
 

ixcuincle

May 30th, 2011 at 9:04 PM ^

"Rose has no regrets. "I knew how much money that the school was making," he says. "I always heard about how Ohio State had the biggest Nike budget. I was struggling, my mom was struggling. ... It was just something that I had to do. I was in a hard spot. ... [Other] guys were doing it for the same reasons. The university doesn't really help. Technically we knew it was wrong, but a lot of those guys are from the inner city and we didn't have much, and we had to go on the best we could. I couldn't call home to ask my mom to help me out."



Ohio State's conclusion that only six players broke the rules is based in part on a list of the items the Department of Justice seized in raids of Fine Line Ink and Rife's home on May 1, 2010. But that list, which mentioned 42 football-related items that Rife bought, received or acquired in trades from players, covered only a small fraction of what he got from the Buckeyes, Ellis says. "Eddie had storage units all over town," he says, "and he also sold some stuff off to people." (Through Palmer, his lawyer, Rife declined to comment on his involvement with Ohio State players.) Ellis estimates that Pryor alone brought in more than 20 items, including game-worn shoulder pads, multiple helmets, Nike cleats, jerseys, game pants and more. One day Ellis asked Pryor how he was able to take so much gear from the university's equipment room. Ellis says the quarterback responded, "I get whatever I want.""

 

ixcuincle

May 30th, 2011 at 9:06 PM ^

Article basically expanded on Tattoo Gate, saying it was habitual since his 2nd year, and the car dealership. Wasn't any mention of sex , or Ted Ginn's papa. 

It said what we already knew. However, it did so in intensive detail. 

Good read.

coastal blue

May 30th, 2011 at 9:09 PM ^

That was a huge disappointment. 

He basically rehashed everything we already knew and said that more players got tattoos. 

Weak. 

What a waste of a day, I might cancel my SI subscription for that nonsense....

michfan6060

May 30th, 2011 at 9:08 PM ^

It was very good. Espcially the part about it going back to 2002. Too bad there wasn't more in it that we didn't already know.

skwasha

May 30th, 2011 at 9:33 PM ^

And really, what's to push? Sure they got a bunch of people to say what went on. But most of them did so on request of anonymity. So, how does any of that help an NCAA investigation?

Sure, it further confirms a lot of what everyone was suspecting. But ultimately it doesn't do much to push any cases forward. *Maybe* now the NCAA has a bigger list of players to interview. But what's to keep them all from saying it's all lies? Or taking the Clarrett  route and just stonewalling? Where's the smoking gun?

It was an interesting read and well researched and written. But it's hardly as damning as the cover implies.

clarkiefromcanada

May 30th, 2011 at 9:44 PM ^

On page 1 Rob Rose admitted that he traded memorabilia for tats...

He was not one of the listed tat scandal players...

but Gene Smith says in December 2010 that everything is fine and that the issues are isolated etc. 

Bottom line is that the rose admission coupled with the named players (and understand, SI cannot name anyone without clear and defineable evidence for fear of defamation lawsuits) leads one clearly down the path targeting institutional control.

Of course, something new comes up in this daily...like Terrelle driving 8 cars in 3 years or pulling up in a 350z. Finally, I think most of us on MGoBlog are aware of the scandals at tUofOSU because we've followed their shenanigans and 400 self reported 'minor' violations and the 'Senator' act and Doug F'ing Archie's god damned incompetence for years. We all know this...but to my dad who doesn't follow the blog (and your average tUofOSU hater or other football fan) this crap is seismic like Bosworth '87.

Zone Left

May 30th, 2011 at 9:46 PM ^

The shwag for weed part was interesting. Dollars to doughnuts they have the names and gave them to the NCAA and OSU legal teams, but weren't willing to put them in print on the word of a felon.

I wish there was a Bobby Lowder type name that the players still leaned on for support. The last cash exchange or no-show job in the article was Troy Smith.

It's still a really strong case for lack of institutional control.

mejunglechop

May 30th, 2011 at 9:46 PM ^

The new stuff is significant. The tattoo stuff was on a scale compliance should have known about. It's not just about Tressel lying anymore.

smwilliams

May 30th, 2011 at 9:50 PM ^

I think the most damning part leading to an institutional control verdict was Pryor allegedly saying in response to a question about where he got all the merch: "I get what I want."

If the NCAA finds out people in Ohio State's program were supplying the memoribilia getting traded for tats/weed, then look out!

I mean, USC got a 2 year bowl ban and a reduction of 30 scholarships for Reggie Bush taking improper benefits from an agent not directly connected to the university.

turtleboy

May 30th, 2011 at 9:53 PM ^

between us saying these things on MGoBlog and him saying these things on SI is that he has proof. If he can't prove these things then SI gets the pants sued off of them. He didn't reveal sources ostensibly so they wouldn't get death threats from fans/drug dealers but if he has to he can name sources and probably has no qualms about cooperating with NCAA investigators. What are the odds of the buckeyes hearing being pushed back so new charges can be tacked on?

balashi5032

May 30th, 2011 at 10:00 PM ^

pretty disappointed in this article.  I feel like most of the new stuff that came out was from many years ago and nothing really new happened.  While the new in depth info on cars, memorabilia for drugs/tattoos was pretty significant, the media made it seem like there was going to be groundbreaking allegations made.  Someone posted earlier that there was going to be stuff on sex, Ted Ginn Sr. being paid to help recruit, and more things that don't come to mind right now.  Where was that? Unless more new allegations come out, I'm not so sure of OSU getting USC type sanctions anymore.  It's still very possible but not as certain as I believed it would be in anticipation of this article.

BlueinLansing

May 30th, 2011 at 10:09 PM ^

will actually be new for most of SI's readership who probably don't have the luxury of reading some of the posts by obsessive Michigan fan's that have outlined most of Tressel's background.

 

The piece trys to tie things together that maybe readers have forgotten or didn't know.  If anything I think the piece will get the right folks looking for more.

ppToilet

May 30th, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^

1. Potentially over two dozen OSU players have been trading memorabilia for tats/weed/car (?cars) for almost a decade.  This includes current players who have not yet been suspended and would have been ineligible for the bowl game.

2. No one in the compliance department, or Jim Tressel, claims to have known about #1 until last year.

3. Jim Tressel may have made parking tickets "disappear".

4. Jim Tressel has a history of being blissfully unaware of the cheating going on around him, even though new allegations suggest he rigged raffles as an assistant coach in the 1980s at OSU.

Where there's smoke, there's fire and I doubt we've heard the end of it. It looks like, if the allegations are true, that the current year's team will be decimated by suspensions.

The article pushes the ball forward on multiple counts, giving supporting evidence for a show cause order in particular. Is willful blindness the same as lack of institutional control? Ultimately, that is the question the article is posing and we'll see what the NCAA decides. 

turtleboy

May 30th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^

some of the most severe penalties ever handed down for 1 offense by 1 player. The depth of the punishment was a result of almost exclusive heresay and a short phone cal snippet. Tressel and tUOS have mountains of evidence against them, buckeye fans won't be groaning and rolling their eyes when the punishment is handed down, they'll be screaming their heads off like they're on Jerry Springer.

tdatag

December 5th, 2012 at 5:00 AM ^

 

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