http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/BF/20110309/SPORTS/103090326/0/OPINION03/Rules-violation-sure-tarnish-Jim-Tressel-s-appeal?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Rules violation sure
to tarnish Jim
Tressel's appeal
Written by
JOE ARNOLD
CentralOhio.com
5:24 AM, Mar. 9, 2011|
It's been the ultimate trump card, tucked away in the back pocket of Ohio State fans and ready to use in case of emergencies -- like when defending their team from being lumped in with other NCAA miscreants.
"Our coach does things the right way," Buckeye fans have extolled.
The statement has carried enough finality to end arguments, and it's tough to argue that reality hasn't followed that perception of Jim Tressel
Until Tuesday.
Tressel looked contrite, even remorseful, as he publicly addressed allegations he ignored potential NCAA violations by a handful of his players in April 2010.
His case was compelling: Tressel didn't inform anyone at Ohio State that he knew two of his players were part of a federal drug trafficking investigation because of a request for confidentiality. The investigation subsequently revealed the sale of Ohio State memorabilia by the athletes -- an NCAA violation.
Confidentiality and safety. They were the cornerstones of Tressel's defense Tuesday. In hindsight, Tressel said he should have immediately sought advice from the university's top legal counsel.
And he's right. It's hard to think in the world of college football, where self-preservation among coaches is second only to winning, Tressel didn't sprint to the university's Office of Legal Affairs, e-mails in hand.
But he kept the news to himself.
Although Tressel fans in the past might have been quick to praise the coach for keeping tight-lipped on the situation, there was unfamiliar uncertainty Tuesday. It tends to happen when the words "major violation" are thrown around during a mea culpa press conference.
In its self report to the NCAA, Ohio State recommended Tressel serve a two-game suspension and pay a $250,000 fine. Whether or not the NCAA imposes more remains to be seen.
But what stings today is a realization that will long outlive whatever sanctions the NCAA levies -- that Ohio State is a step closer to becoming just another big-time -- wink, wink -- college football program.
No longer beyond reproach, the Buckeyes,
to many, won't be any different than USC,
North Carolina, Tennessee or, dare I say, M
ichigan. They're just the latest to either
get caught breaking the rules or, worse, to
get caught covering it up.
Tressel hasn't undone 10 years of work in
the past 11 months. He simply fell prey to
his own interpretation of what was right.
It just wasn't the "right" Ohio State fans
have come to love and expect from him.
Joe Arnold can be reached at (740) 681-
4358 or jarnold@mncogannett.com.