Posted on 03/07/2011 7:45:55 PM PST by buccaneer81
Trouble for Tress?
Yahoo Sports! article claims Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel knew Terrelle Pryor and others had sold merchandise months before the school was made aware of it By WTVN Sports Department Monday, March 7, 2011 A Yahoo! sports report, (link below) posted Monday night, claims that Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel knew of Terrelle Pryor and other players selling gear and awards last April---more than eight months before OSU director of Athletics Gene Smith said the school knew of it.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ys-osuprobe030711
The Yahoo! story, authored by Dan Wetzel and Charles Robinson, reports that an anonymous source, says Tressel was told in April of 2010 that some players, including Terrelle Pryor, were selling items to Edward Rife, who owns a Columbus tattoo parlor.
According to that Yahoo! source, Tressel said he would notify Ohio State officials and encourage an investigation. But during the December 23 press conference, when the University announced an NCAA suspension for Pryor and five other players, Director of Athletics Gene Smith said his department was not made aware of the situation until earlier that month.
The Yahoo! story indicates that Tressel could face major NCAA violations if he is found to have known about violations but did not report them. It also potentially could mean the 2010 season would have to be vacated.
Ohio State officials are aware of the report, but have not commented.
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Interesting emails. So Tressel is saying that he did not inform OSU officials because the attorney told him to keep this confidential due to the federal investigation? Were these emails still in Tressel’s inbox? Did OSU review his emails or did Tressel turn them over to OSU officials?
Thanks for providing the link.
2 & 3) Nobody is saying.
This is an interesting take from someone on the Dispatch Topix board:
1. The first email says nothing about confidentiality. Tressel should have immediately gone to legal and/or compliance with this information. It could have been kept confidential within the department on a need to know basis.
2. The emails clearly indicate that the OSU players in question were selling OSU items for profit. This clearly should have raised a red flag with Tressel. He’s a smart guy and he had to know that this was a very iffy situation, thus the need to involve compliance.
3. If he knew this was going on and that his players were involved in something potentially illegal and/or in violation of NCAA rules, why did he let the players play? He was asked this question and his lame answer was basically “because they could”. Nothing to do with whether they *should*.
4. He signed a letter to the NCAA in September of 2010 stating that he knew of no possible violations at OSU. This was a lie and he knew it. He should have talked to legal or compliance (again!) to seek their guidance on what was to be done.
5. Why not reply to the emailer and say “this information looks like it could indicate my players broke NCAA rules so I need to escalate this...what can I do to protect the confidentiality of this while doing the right thing and reporting violations?” He did not do this.
6. In December, he claimed this was the “first” he knew about it. And then in January of this year, conveniently almost one week after the bowl game, he suddenly wondered if there might be NCAA complications from this.
And don’t forget “Deli Man” Vlade Janakievski. I don’t fault the guy for hustling and getting into business for himself, and that operation (mostly family employees) offers a good product. He and his family were (legal) immigrants back in ‘67. He walked onto the team in ‘77 as a soccer player and played through the ‘80 season. But I can’t help but think his status as a local celebrity helped him get the financing needed to buy that business. No question that being a local celebrity, and around here that means football player or coach, gives you an edge over ordinary schmucks.
Are you just jealous that Buckeye football overshadows your Blue Jackets? I don’t understand all of this hatred towards a conservative Christian like Jim Tressel. However, I do have to give you props for the Dimitrious Stanley pimp suit line.
Great point. The SEC is so dirty it’s unreal.
As far as Tressel's faith? Who really knows? But he sure did lie...a big fat whopper about those e-mails. In the private sector, he would have been bounced out the door yesterday. Remember Jim O'Brien? He got the axe for a whole lot less.
Wasn’t Gordan Geek or his wife in on the sabotaging of the arena project back in the 90s while serving on the committee that was trying to get it passed? Also, OSU didn’t even want an arena until Columbus was planning one, then they had to have one too while hoping to kill the one for Columbus in the process. The whole thing was disgusting.
Gee is at OSU for one reason...to do the bidding of the the big money boys of Central Ohio. Why else would Wexner fly down to Nashville on Christmas Eve to bring his lapdog back?
And, not so coincidentally, Cicero played football at OSU in 1983. One of the assistant coaches at the time was...Jim Tressel.
As if successful people in the private sector always get fired when they lie. If you help the bottom line and keeping you would hurt the bottom line, you stay. As if pro athletes have never lied. Of course I remember Jim O’Brien. There are two significant differences. Tressel has been more successful and O’Brien was outright buying players off. Bribing players affects the integrity of the game much more than players selling memorabilia. You’re probably right about the university having too much influence in the city, but other than German Village and maybe the Clippers, the city has nothing else to offer.
You've just illustrated why Columbus is considered a cowtown.
Boom goes the dynamite on all that’s coach Tressel.
About time. Now Smith and Gee need to follow in Tressel’s footsteps.
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