“I want to make this much clear, Jim Tressel is our football coach and we stand behind him 100%”
- Gene Smith, Athletic Director, The Ohio State University
Those of us who have followed Coach Tressel during his tenure at Ohio State know that the well being of his players has always come before winning championships. He has shown time and time again that public perception and good press take second chair to doing what is right for his athletes.
So when Coach Tressel explained how he violated NCAA regulations by not reporting knowledge of his players involvement with Edward Rife, owner of a Columbus tattoo shop where five members of the Ohio State football team sold memorabilia, it is fairly easy to accept his version of events. According to Tressel, he was contacted by a federal attorney who informed him of a drug investigation in which members of his team might be involved. He was also asked to maintain confidentiality — hence his failure to report the situation to the NCAA or University officials.
And while the commentators on ESPN were quick to point out that this is a major NCAA violation, let’s step back for moment and put ourselves in Coach Tressel’s shoes. It’s not every day that you receive an email from a federal attorney regarding a federal drug investigation. Not only that but this investigation involves students for whom you take responsibility. Finally, you’ve been told to maintain complete confidentiality due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
At this point, Coach Tressel is not thinking, “Oh no. This could cost us our BCS chances next season.” He is thinking, “Are my kids in danger and will I put them in more danger if I break confidentiality.” Yahoo Sports who broke the story and most of the major media outlets have portrayed this as a coverup of the highest nature and should only result in not only the firing of Jim Tressel but the banning of Ohio State football for the next five years.
It’s time for a little perspective here. Coach Tressel was not trying to hide anything from anyone. He had been asked to maintain confidentiality by a federal officer. The University has been investigating Tressel’s actions regarding this situation since early January. The University was preparing to hand down their own sanctions within the week but were forced to move today due to Yahoo Sports breaking of the story last night.
The biggest mistake in any of this was that five Ohio State football players choose the wrong tattoo shop. If they had gone to any other shop to get their tattoos, the federal investigation of Rife would have gone down with little more than a headline in the Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio State is handing down a self imposed penalty on Coach Tressel that includes a two-game suspension and a $250,000 fine. The NCAA may still hand down a harsher penalty if they deem that Coach Tressel was unethical or failed to foster an atmosphere of compliance. If they do (as Cam Newton builds a new trophy case for his Heisman) then the NCAA has lost all credibility in such matters once and for all.
Update: Buckeye Banter has posted the letter Ohio State submitted to the NCAA regarding the situation on their Facebook page. Not sure where they got it but it describes the sequence of events and Coach Tressel’s involvement in the situation. You can see it here.
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Amazing. The Ohio St. A.D. makes the bold statement “Jim Tressell is our football coach and we stand behind him 100%”, all the while handing down “self imposed” penalties to Tressell by suspending him for two games and keeping $250,000 of HIS money in THEIR bank.
Oh how I admire their dedication!
What an absurd response. Gene Smith’s comment was in response to the overwhelming media speculation that Tressel would be fired. It was something this Buckeye fan (if not all Buckeye fans) was glad to hear.
Ok, then let me put it another way. Let’s just forget that A.D. Gene Smith said anything at all. How about we just all accept the so-called fact (Buckeye homerism) Tressell’s hands were tied by confidentiality and a promise to keep his mouth shut to a federal attorney.
That alone should clear up ANY wrong doing on his part in the School’s eyes and with the NCAA looking for any possible future infractions.
Considering the obvious (as all Buckeye fans see it) then why in hell are we even discussing $250,000 fines and 2 game suspensions?
Can you please answer this one question without the good ‘ol Buckeye spin? Thanks.
Your salty attitude speaks volumes for itself.
Come on. This entire situation is a joke. I don’t think that anybody should be in any trouble at all!
http://sportstheblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/jim-tressel-is-bad-boy.html
I’m not legal counsel and I speak as a Buckeye. If an attorney contacted Tressell about a drug case being investigated at the FEDERAL level and requested that he maintain confidentiality, he should have done exactly that.
IF any federal investigator(s) or DEA agent(s) were involved or copied in those communications, it would even further complicate this situation. During the investigation this week I hope that the Universtiy looked into whether the latter happened. I’m pretty sure that FEDERAL LAW would trump the NCAA rules (although the NCAA might think its above the law…).
If an attorney also suggested that Tatgate was underway during this federal investigation in those e-mails, I can understand that Tressell could/would have kept this under wraps. However, I also think he should have contacted legal counsel immediatley from the University in confidentiality. And if he did not, I’m assuming this is where the violation occured?
This smells a little bit like HIPPA compliance in the medical world to me. Anyone involved in patient care at any level is legally bound to not make comments or disclose any information regarding that patient. Maybe a weak analogy, but I think you get my point.
I don’t know if the NCAA would have suspended the players of Tatgate for the 2010 season or part of it if Tressell would have brought this to the attention of the NCAA in June, July or August. I don’t mean to belittle this infraction (much to the chagrin of the teams we beat), but regardless of whether Tressell reported it or not, I don’t think it would have changed the outcome of the season’s wins and loss column.
I’m still glad to see Tressell protect his players as I believe he maintains high ethical and moral standards.
And to you Razorback fans still in here, I’m glad to see your comments. Gonzo Hog, et al -you are always welcome here.
Well put alan, I could not have said it better myself. This answers the question I had from the begining as to who dropped the ball on the tatfive. The senators hands were tied, one hand you risk a Federal indictment if you tell or risk your carrier if you don’t. Each person has to ask themselves how they would have handled this situation. I am so glad the university deceided to back Tressel in the way they did at the press conference. All you Buckeye haters buzz off. I would like to substitute another word for buzz but , I’m in a nice mood today.
Oh come on, Carl, It never stoppped you before.
It’ll be interesting to see what the NCAA does – if they accept the OSU internal scolding of Tressell or if they impose additional spankings…Not that they have much credibility as noted above.
This just highlights all the things wrong with this “amateur sport” where so much money is at stake. Watching this stuff unfold is as bad as the politics in DC…pathetic!
Mikie
You’re all suspended two games for spelling Tressel with two l’s.
Oh crap…I didn’t do that did I? Doing a quick proofread…I think I’m safe.
You didn’t. The commentators did.
Guilty
The letter can be found on Ohio St’s athletic site, Jim. That’s where they likely got it from.
Makes sense. Admittedly, I didn’t get a chance to search it out for myself last night.
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