Coach Jim Tressel out at Ohio State

[BernietheKid]

Coach Jim Tressel out at Ohio State

Monday, May 30, 2011 07:55 AM
<!-- end creation date -->Updated: Monday, May 30, 2011 08:58 AM

By Mike Wagner, Ken Gordon and Jill Riepenhoff



The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has resigned, university sources told The Dispatch today.

Less than three months after President E. Gordon Gee and Athletic Director Gene Smith said they fully supported their embattled coach, mounting pressure, a pending NCAA disciplinary hearing and new revelations about the culture of the program forced the university to act on their once-revered coach, sources said.

Neither Gee, Smith nor Tressel could be reached immediately for comment.

Sources said assistant coach Luke Fickell, who had been named to coach the first five games of the season while Tressel served his suspension for withholding information from the university compliance office and the NCAA, will serve as interim coach of the Buckeyes all of next season.

The Dispatch has obtained a memo Gee sent to OSU trustees this morning:

"I write to let you know that later this morning we will be announcing the resignation of Jim Tressel as head coach of the University's football program. As you all know, I appointed a special committee to analyze and provide advice to me regarding issues attendant to our football program. In consultation with the senior leadership of the University and the senior leadership of the Board, I have been actively reviewing the matter and have accepted Coach Tressel's resignation.

"My public statement will include our common understanding that throughout all we do, we are One University with one set of standards and one overarching mission. The University's enduring public purposes and its tradition of excellence continue to guide our actions," Gee wrote.

Ohio State's football program came under fire in December when six players were suspended by the NCAA for selling or trading uniforms and other memorabilia to a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner. The NCAA also drew criticism for allowing the players to participate in the Sugar Bowl instead of serving their suspensions immediately.

Tattoo-parlor owner Edward Rife was under investigation for drug trafficking when his unrelated trading for OSU memorabilia came to light. It was revealed in federal court on Friday that Edward Rife, owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos on Sullivant Avenue on the Hilltop, agreed in December to plead guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering. As part of the agreement, Rife must forfeit all of his OSU memorabilia if he does not come up with $50,000, the amount federal investigators say he made in profit selling marijuana.

Tressel expressed surprise in December at the revelations of his players being involved with the tattoo-parlor operator, but the university learned in January that Tressel was told of the relationship last April in an email from a former OSU player. The coach did not share that information with the university as his contract requires, nor did he reveal it when he signed an NCAA compliance form in September verifying that he was unaware of any possible violations.

He was suspended two games and fined $250,000 for his actions. He requested that his suspension be increased to five games to match the penalty his players received. The university obliged.

Tressel's contract was renewed last spring through 2014. He earns about $3.7 million annually in salary and other incentives. He leaves Ohio State with an impressive coaching resume, having led the school to its fifth national title as well as directing impressive runs of Big Ten championships and victories over archrival Michigan.

The coach who came to Ohio State from Division I-AA Youngtown State University leaves OSU as one of the most recognizable figures in college football and all sports with a record of 106-22 at OSU. His winning percentage of .828 was better than the legendary Woody Hayes (.761).

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Coach Jim Tressel out at Ohio State | BuckeyeXtra

[Vegasdogg]

I'm pissed off.

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by Vegasdogg

I'm pissed off.

Tell me about it. There's Auburn fans that call in sports radio complaining about Tressel's ethics while they celebrate the results Cam Newton's signing bonus.

It would be fine, if the NCAA got consistent and started nailing everyone for shit like this. Rememer all thiose year's Tom Osborne was shaking all the right hands andgreasing all the right fannies while his corrupted recruits were raping girls on campus and getting arrested for aggrevated assault on students all over campus? Meanwhile, all Barry Switzer had to was flash a crooked smile and the NCAA had about 300 Joe Fridays swarming the Oklahoma football program.

It's always been about who the NCAA WANTS to bust and who they want to look away from. Freakin Pete Carroll and Reggie's Bush went on to get enormous pay raises at the NFL level while a bunch of complete strangers recruited at USC are paying for what the previous regime continued to get away with about 5 -6 years ago. Makes NO sense to punish the people that weren't involved and allow those responsible to go on and get rewarded for it all. That's what happens though. And YES, Pete Carroll was well aware of all this shit behind the scenes.

[Riffer X]

To me it is a no brainer to go after Meyer. On a side note, he is from my home town of Ashtabula and graduated 5 years before me at a rival school of St. Johns, which was the Catholic school in Ashtabula.

Meyer can continue in state recruiting and further add to Jimmy T's foundation that was built in state, but he can also go up top nationally with his name recognition and two national titles. Included in that would be a different and perhaps more explosive offensive approach, so this could be a great hire given his relative youth to this point.

Some of his criticisms have been allegations of some shadiness at Florida, lack of developing or coaching players for NFL preparedness and his physical issues. Given that he is healthy and focused after spending this year in the booth, it would be best to get this guy on board ASAP to negate the negative impact on recruiting.

Regardless what Fickel does this season, the Buckeyes need to go after a big time guy to continue with the recruiting Jimmy T established and expound on it more nationally. This will be the best way to offset the negative losses from the short term commitments in the near future.

Urban Meyer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urban_Meyer

[nmills]

YouTube - &#x202a;Gene Smith addresses Buckeye nation&#x202c;&rlm;

[Listercat]

Why the Hell would OSU drop this bomb on Memorial Day???

[Alo]

Originally Posted by Listercat

Why the Hell would OSU drop this bomb on Memorial Day???

One theory is they wanted to get him out ahead of a Sports Illustrated article that's going to make Tressel look awfully bad.

[Listercat]

Originally Posted by Alo

One theory is they wanted to get him out ahead of a Sports Illustrated article that's going to make Tressel look awfully bad.

I would bet you are spot on; however, it is of extreme poor taste on a day set aside to honor the individuals whom lost their lives serving our nation

[nmills]

Tressel didn't do anything that any other division 1 coach wouldn't have done and more than likely 99% have already done. He went down protecting his players the same way you or I would protecting our family, much respect to him for that.

Whatever happened to teaching? Is it in the best interest of an 18 year old kid to exploit and embarrass him?, or teach and punish in house as a family, that is what they go to college to do right? Learn?.. But it's more important for the NCAA to make sure they protect their brand at the expense of kids while making millions off them. Tressel did the absolute right thing and shame on the NCAA for not recognizing that

[Alo]

Originally Posted by Listercat

I would bet you are spot on; however, it is of extreme poor taste on a day set aside to honor the individuals whom lost their lives serving our nation

Agreed.

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

As I said in chat box. It is a sad day for the sports world, and humanity in general when a hack organization like ESPN can put a bunch of sheep into a frenzy and force an entire institutions hand in firing one of the finest human beings to walk this earth. They have defecated on this mans reputation, twisted the truth, and enjoyed every last minute of it. Now the talking heads can go back to rooting for USC, and laughing at Ohio.

Job well done. Hope you all burn in hell.

This shit seriously makes me want to give up sports for good.

[Listercat]

Originally Posted by TheBestPlayersPlay

As I said in chat box. It is a sad day for the sports world, and humanity in general when a hack organization like ESPN can put a bunch of sheep into a frenzy and force an entire institutions hand in firing one of the finest human beings to walk this earth. They have defecated on this mans reputation, twisted the truth, and enjoyed every last minute of it. Now the talking heads can go back to rooting for USC, and laughing at Ohio.

Job well done. Hope you all burn in hell.

This shit seriously makes me want to give up sports for good.

Very salient points; where we they in regards to Pete Carroll and USC?