Obviously I am not privy to all the details, but this doesn’t pass the smell test to me and but I think he is only getting a slap on the wrist. Suspended for two games. OK…but Toledo? Akron?
There appears to be a pattern of problems under Tressel. Ray Issac at Youngstwon, Clarett, Tony Smith, and these latest problems. Plus 375 other very minor items mentioned in the article.
I’ve only heard a little about it, bt I agree. It sounds like they’re continuing to do the exact thing they’ve been doing.
The penalty is self imposed to give the NCAA the illusion that they are taking care of the problem. Then the hope is more penalties wont come down . They always try.
The self-imposed penalty seems far too inadequate for the violation. Tressel was told of possible violations by several players, says he’d look into it, and does- nothing. It really doesn’t sound like OSU is terribly interested in playing by the rules.
Hey now,what kind of monster doesn’t believe everybody deserves a 376th chance?
Well okay, but nobody gets a 377th.
Well, this is only the OSU penalty. NCAA has yet to act.
True enough, but obviously OSU hopes that its self-imposed penalty will suffice. If this was say Western Kentucky, the NCAA would break their knees. But it’s OSU, one of the big moneymakers for the NCAA, so don’t hold your breath waiting for the NCAA to hammer them.
I’m unclear on the details of Tressel’s suspension. Does it mean only that he can’t coach the team during the 2 games, or is he prohibited from coaching the team (ie gameplanning, motivating, recruiting, etc ) in the weeks leading up to the games too?
It sure isn’t much of a penalty if he’s only prohibited from coaching on Saturday afternoon, IMHO.
No one wants to take a $250,000 hit in his paycheck either, but I’m guessing Tressel still has his First Communion money so that’ll really just be more than a nuisance than anything else.
More importantly to me though is, what kind of stupid NCAA rule is it that prevents players from selling their own stuff?
It is a huge hit. Tressel is a god in Ohio, and for him not to appear at the games in Toledo and Akron is like Paula Deen not showing up at a butter convention. Those games are all about the attendance and revenue for those schools, who desperately need butts in the seats and booking OSU to come see the Bucks and His Holiness is far more important than the actual game schedule for the rest of the year – and may outsell the total attendance for the rest of the year, too. If people stay away in protest, for example, the smaller schools will pay the price in a way Tressel won’t.
But Toledo and Akron are close enough that OSU fans will show up - and, let’s face it, OSU fans would come even if Satan (or, worse, Rich Rodriguez) was named as the interim coach.
Sigmagirl: As a former usher at Indiana University football games, I confidentally assure you the OSU fans will fill the stadia if the locals don’t. IU sucks so bad that the only time we can sell out our own statium is when we play the Buckeyes and Purdue.
Agreed.
Agreed that Indiana sucks. That’s one break that my Spartans got from the Big 10 divisions- our guaranteed annual cross-division game is against Indiana.
The Ohio State fans will fill their own stadium and any other within a reasonable distance. I really don’t think a two game suspension is going to hurt them at the gate.
This will not please my Druidess, as she’s a huge Buckeye fan. I’ve tried to explain that Ohio State is irrelevant, as they aren’t even in the SEC, but she disagrees.
Oakminister: You, sir, will never corrupt a loyal daughter of the Big 10 with your southern wiles. 
This appears to be true. In fact, I’ll be exploring options to subscribe to a Big 10 TV package to ensure access to Buckeye games for her. On the upside, my bride to be is a football fan, so I’m counting that as a win
Congratulations on your impending nuptials then.
I actually think this is a smart move by OSU. Get the story off ESPN and sports talk radio asap and hope that the NCAA is scandal weary and they’ll accept OSU’s punishment.
For me, however, this drives yet another nail into the coffin of my declining interest in college sports.
Yep.
Nope.