A Program in Dis-Tress

Jim Tressel had it all. The head coach at one of the most storied college football programs in the country. A national champion who also had great success at beating Michigan, something that endeared him to Buckeye fans. Then, with two seemingly harmless decisions, he lost it all.

The first: Looking the other way upon receiving an e-mail informing him of NCAA violations by his players.

The second: Lying about being aware of the violations.

Tressel was 9-1 in the Ohio State-Michigan game during his tenure in Columbus. 

The coverup is ALWAYS worse than what the truth would have brought about. If the Tressel had brought this to his athletic director's attention immediately, any wrongdoing would have immediately been passed off his shoulders. The actions themselves would have been on his players, while the responsibility of handling it would have been on the Ohio State Athletic Department and the NCAA.

Listen to Raffy...an exposed cover up is ALWAYS worse than taking responsibility for your actions from the get go.

But "he was trying to protect his players," as many have said. I don't buy that as an acceptable excuse. A good coach will always err on the side of protecting his players, even if they are wrong. Protecting, however, does not have to mean lying for them at all costs. Hindsight is always 20/20, but Tressel could have saved face for both his program and the young men if they had come out about it right away and thrown themselves on the mercy of the court of public opinion. He could've publicly protected his players as good kids who made a stupid mistake. 

In addition, when he lied about his knowledge of everything, who was he protecting then? I assure you, it was not his players.

I still believe Tressel to be a good man, but he couldn't have survived this. Ultimately, the "Fab Five" violators (that's GOTTA be a dig at Buckeye nation) will emerge from this and be alright - either in the NFL or wherever they end up. Ultimately, "THE" Ohio State University will be alright, perhaps after a stint on probation.



Yeah Buckeye Nation...I went there! Stop sniffing your own farts and saying "THE" before your school's name, and maybe I'll be nicer next time. For the record, I hate Michigan just as much. Growing up a "French Canadian" Notre Dame fan, I have no use for either! 

 Tressel, however, will have a much more difficult time recovering. His integrity is highly suspect now. If he's interested in coaching again, he may need to take a hiatus for a few years before re-emerging. If there's a place in college football for George O'Leary (current head coach of Central Florida) after he lied to Notre Dame about his resume credentials, there is a place for Tressel.

George O'Leary, who has nowhere near the redeeming qualities that Tressel has, was given a second chance at Central Florida after going through one of the most embarrassing lies/coverups in college football history. Why not Tressel if he wants to coach again?

NCAA Rant

Should you feel like Tressel is a scumbag? I think not....This issue runs even deeper than all that was just discussed.
I can't take the NCAA. I challenge you to find a more hypocritical organization in America. I understand that many athletes secure athletic scholarships, which is supposed to be their "payment in return" for what they do, but let's be honest.

But there's no name on the back....it could be ANY #15 on the University of Florida's football team...

The NCAA makes some serious, serious money off of some of these guys. The money made off stars like Tim Tebow is obvious, but what about the unsung guys who may never play in the NFL, but who are part of that "must see" game marketed by the NCAA. What about the players on all the mid-majors who make the NCAA basketball tournament so great each year? 

If you ever take some time to look at the ways in which a NCAA student-athlete can violate NCAA rules, take a look. It's a tremendously long list with an abundance of petty BS violations.

So Dez...You met with Deion Sanders? ....and then LIED to the almighty NCAA about it? That's violation #692 - Suspended for Life!

In the case of Ohio State, someone was about to make money off of something that the NCAA could have made money off of. That's why this is such a big deal. Think about what these players did....

They got free tattoos in exchange for signed memorabilia. Let's call a spade a spade....it's not as if they were pulling in 100 large a season to play football. Tressel did not orchestrate a conspiracy coverup, he just made a stupid decision to lie to protect himself and his players.