Jim Tressel Shames Ohio State

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Ohio State University’s football coach Jim Tressel is now known for his many text messages, phone calls and e-mails made after he heard that players were selling memorabilia.

The Detroit Free Press reports that there are good reasons as to why Tressel should and could be fired:

What Tressel did is fairly simple. He was informed last April that several of his players, including stars Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron and DeVier Posey, were selling merchandise to the owner of a Columbus tattoo parlor in violation of NCAA rules.

Tressel was obligated to tell his superiors about the violations. This is the most basic rule in the book. He said nothing, played those guys when they should have been ineligible and rode them to a share of the Big Ten title and all the way to the Sugar Bowl.

That is a fireable offense in almost every case. But what Tressel did after that is even worse. The university says it became aware of the violations Dec. 7. On Dec. 23, athletic director Gene Smith discussed the violations with the media.

WTAM, Cleveland Radio, online focuses the major violations that the NCAA has nailed Tressel with and OSU has until July 5 to respond to the the NCAA about what has been said:

The NCAA’s Notice of Allegations indicates that Tressel only disclosed the information when Ohio State discovered emails pertaining to the issue in January 2011. The NCAA also alleged that Tressel, in September 2010, falsely attested that he reported to the institution any knowledge of NCAA violations when he signed the school’s certification of compliance form.

Tressel, who acknowledged his mistakes in March, had initially been suspended two games for his impropriety and was also fined $250,000. He then added three more games to the penalty to equal the length of his players’ suspensions.

The university said the allegations are consistent with what was self-reported to the NCAA in March. There was no allegation of “lack of institutional control” or “failure to monitor.” Those allegations usually result in stiff penalties, including vacation of records and postseason bans.

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