Gobluegr

July 22nd, 2011 at 10:08 PM ^

Just a note about the NCAA finding nothing new on Tatgate. George Dohrmann the author of the SI article on osu tweeted this "NCAA met with SI source on OSU story, said it couldn't grant him confidentiality. So, players walk. Happens. SI story still 100% accurate"

almostkorean

July 22nd, 2011 at 10:18 PM ^

I saw that tweet, but I'm not sure I understand what he's implying.  Is he just saying that NCAA didn't interview the SI source because he didn't want his identity to be on the record?  

If so, I thought everyone already knew who it was?  I vaguely remember some OSU players calling someone out, and that person basically admitting he was the source.

Also, even if the guy doesn't want to do the interview, what's stopping them from doing their own investigation into what was said in the article (interview or not) ?

Tater

July 23rd, 2011 at 12:13 AM ^

It's the same shit that was done to Clarett.  Everyone is afraid to testify against THE Ohio State University to the NCAA because of death threats.  I wish just one person would speak up.  I really don't think anyone would follow through, especially if they moved out of Columbus.  

What sucks the most is that this just encourages THE Ohio State University to tamper with all potential witnesses.  They never get punished for it, so why should they stop.  They can basically cheat all they want and get away with it becuase everyone is afraid to testify.

Franz Schubert

July 23rd, 2011 at 7:28 AM ^

for the interview to be public? Why did the NCAA not use the interview with the witness from the SI story and grant him confidentiality? Im assuming this is an option since its not a criminal trial but I may be wrong. Anyone know the answer?

chrs5mr

July 22nd, 2011 at 10:17 PM ^

2 hours after the OSU news, Tennessee announces they will self impose 2 years of probation for the Pearl and Kiffin violations.  Why wouldn't they?!?  Ohio State's getting away with it...

MGoSteelers

July 22nd, 2011 at 10:37 PM ^

I guess another example I’d use is so and so calls in and says, “Hey, I’ve seen Johnny driving this certain kinda car.” And so we’ll call and say, “Hey, what’s the updated vehicle registration form,” because it’s – you know, that’s one of the things we chase. And, you know, so Doug and his office are forever on the phone, you know, trying to – you know, so anytime, you know, something from that standpoint comes up, you know, we, you know, we try to help the cause.
Jim Tressel (pg. 14)

I can just see Archie sitting across the table giving Tressel the "Easyyyyy Jim, let's not show 'em our hand just yet!" death glare.

AFMich

July 22nd, 2011 at 10:40 PM ^

Here is another gem:

 

Jim Tressel: – I would just call directly. I wouldn’t, you know – now if it was something like I get a request to go appear at something and it’s on paper, then next time we’re in a staff meeting, I’ll just hand it to Amy and say, “Amy, you know, clear this,” you know. Hopefully, the answers, no, I can't.

Real classy Jim.

news2me

July 22nd, 2011 at 11:15 PM ^

Just maybe, someone could help me understand who Tressel called when seeking "the updated vehicle registration form"?

Just maybe, Tressel called "Doug and his office" to get an "updated form".

Just maybe, both Tressel and Doug knew how many "updated" forms were requested....But, who kept records?

Just maybe, Tressel did not care about records, because Gene Smith did not keep records on Tressel; and just maybe this is the way the game was taught to Tressel by Gene Smith.

Just maybe, if they always called it an "updated form", just maybe they could pretend there was no need to consider the possibility of a violation by a poor misguided player.

Just maybe, pretending not to see violations was Doug's way of learning Tressel's way of pretending not to see violations.

Gosh:  just maybe from Gene's point of view, people will realize it's all circumstantial and they were all too busy to take anything seriously - which in hind-site Tressel and Doug and Gene can say was all very unfortunate, so it must not have happened and nobody can prove it did. Nyah, Nyah, Nyah, Nyah, Nyaah-Nyaah!

Yeoman

July 22nd, 2011 at 11:33 PM ^

But look at Nevius's questions on p.103:

"Okay. Did you think it was against the law at all to reveal the

information that Chris had provided to you in those e-mails?"

"Was that a thought that crossed your mind?"

"Well, then is that why you did not report the information? Does

that help explain why you did not report the information?"

The first time he asks, Tressel seems a bit surprised--he doesn't seem to have thought about it. But by the end he's agreeing that, yes, this is why he didn't report to anyone.

It's like a defense attorney helping his client establish an alibi. But Nevius isn't representing Tressel, he's the freaking NCAA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ENFORCEMENT.

Sorry for shouting, but that part really pissed me off.

JEL

July 22nd, 2011 at 11:43 PM ^

Referring to previous Q&A about Gene Smith and him discussing “personal issues” (athletes) Jim Tressel said “But, you know, we talk about everything”. page 15

HarBooYa

July 22nd, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^

That OsU has an " ally" in the reviewing NCAA body. Unbelievable if true. Not one other coach...not one other admin knew? Really? I find it hard to believe and disturbing that our program gets scrutinized for lack of institutional control and" that" program is starting to get away with something exponentially worse.

Yeoman

July 23rd, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^

Chance Miller went to Tennessee undergrad and New York Law School.

Tim Nevius grew up in Kettering, OH, went to Wright St. undergrad and U. of Dayton Law.

Any chance it was Nevius they were referring to? I've already said what I thought of his performance in the interview; I didn't know he was an Ohio boy.

 

onlyblue1982

July 22nd, 2011 at 11:54 PM ^

a bit like they did with the sugar bowl. Surprising that this happened on a Friday? No, not at all. What sort of records might Wentzel or ESPN find if the did a request of OSU and NCAA correspondence?

JEL

July 23rd, 2011 at 1:44 AM ^

Maybe an mgolawyer could let us know why TJ Downing’s name is not redacted, while Terrelle Pryor’s name is blacked out?

Yeoman

July 23rd, 2011 at 8:09 AM ^

Jim Tressel is a lawyer's worst nightmare.

p. 96-7:

Now, we got issues. And all along, you know, we’ve known that one of the things that we’ve gotta be preparing ourselves for is we gotta find away to keep these guys here. Now when the NCAA, after all the reinstatement discussions and all that, decided that the guys could play in the bowl game and then they would be sanctioned later, okay, at first, I was really disappointed.

Chuck Smrt: Coach, I’m gonna – I think we’re kinda jumping...

...

Jim Tressel: This is his way of saying I talk too much.

Chuck Smrt: Well, I just wanna kinda get us back to where –

Jim Tressel: I get the message

and p. 99:

Tim Nevius: You also made reference to a letter which I believe is dated December 7, 2010 –

Jim Tressel: Mm-hmm.

Tim Nevius: – is from the US Department of Justice.

Jim Tressel: Was I not supposed to?

Chuck Smrt: Well –

Jim Tressel: Oh.

Everyone in the room is trying to help him find a way to get off the hook, and he just can't keep his mouth shut.

Bobby Boucher

July 23rd, 2011 at 12:26 PM ^

TOSUs got to feel pretty on top of the world right now.  They can basically get away with anything they want.  I bet even media is starting to fear them.  Of course, wouldn't that hurt recruiting with prospective recruits knowing that they could never leave and speak negatively about the mafia or suffer a horrible death?

JEL

July 23rd, 2011 at 12:36 PM ^

No matter how hard he prayed Jim could not make a federal case out of it, it was an NCAA case, no players would go to jail, in the end his worst fears were realized instead he would have to lose is job.

jackrobert

July 23rd, 2011 at 3:02 PM ^

I found this transcript a fascinating read.  As a lawyer, I expected the NCAA interviewers to adopt a more adversarial stance toward Tressel.  Their approach was basically to let Tressel hang himself.  I guess you can do this when you have emails showing that Tressel lied to the NCAA on multiple occasions.

Anyway, I'd like to know what the ground rules are for this kind of NCAA compliance interview.  Clearly, they aren't the same ground rules that apply in a deposition for a civil case.  One moment that stuck out was this exchange after Chuck Smrt (OSU's outside counsel) asked Tressel whether he thought he promoted an atmosphere of compliance:

Jim Tressel: I think we definitely do it generally in our program. I don’t think it’s just my doing. But I think we do that, you know, very, very well. Did I do it in this particular situation?

Doug Archie: Can we take a break for a minute?

Chuck Smrt: Okay.

Tim Nevius: Okay. All right. 1:09. We’re taking a short break. Yep, definitely. Oh, back on the record at 1:15 PM with Coach Tressel.

Chuck Smrt: Coach, I had asked you about an atmosphere of compliance, and I think you’ve answered that question. So is there anything else that you wanna add that haven’t talked about?

Jim Tressel: I don’t think so. No, sir.

I don't know why one of the NCAA guys didn't jump back in and ask whether Tressel thinks he promoted an atmosphere of compliance in this instance.  It's clear that Smrt and Archie knew the implications of such testimony.

maiznbob

July 23rd, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^

all this bs. If the NCAA doesn't come down hard on tosu, I'll probably forget college sports for the rest of my short life even though I've been a lifelong Michigan fan. Rottenness begets maggots and that's what the NCAA will have become. This could well be the brick that causes the whole house to crumble. Didn't Pryor mention "everyone lies?"