These are tough times for the Buckeyes. Yesterday football coach Jim Tressel resigned under pressure in the wake of the scandal in which players traded memorabilia for tattoos. Tressel lied to the NCAA and Ohio State about when he learned about the violations.
Tressel was a great recruiter and coach for a decade in Columbus leading the Buckeyes to 106 wins, 8 visits to BCS games and 1 national title. That is a pretty good run for any coach. The problem is Tressel--like many major college coaches--lost control of his program. He was willing to allow his elite players to get special favors and look the other way. The shame of it all is Tressel has smeared the good name of a fine university over winning a few football games.
This is just the start of the troubles for Ohio State football. The NCAA investigation continues and I suspect when it ends more dirt will be unearthed. Don't be surprised if the NCAA comes down hard on the football program with a loss of scholarships...recruiting restrictions and probably a post-season ban for at least 1 year. The NCAA won't stop their investigation just because Tressel is stepping down. The restrictions could have long term effect on the Buckeyes program.
Penn State fans might be gloating this morning but they shouldn't. The troubles at Ohio State should be a warning to ANY program that without tight controls things can get out of hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment