Keeping It Close To The Vest

It seems having a trick up your sleeve is made more difficult when your choice of clothing isn't equipped with any.  By now, you've likely heard the Jim Tressel story.  In April of last year, Tressel was made aware that (at the time) two of his players were receiving free ink in exchange for memorabilia from a drug dealing ex-con tattoo artist.  In December of last year, everyone else found out.  That's a problem.

Ohio State tried to get out in front of this one early Tuesday evening with self-imposed sanctions and a press conference that included what was deemed to be "public reprimand and apology."  I watched and saw that Ohio State's interpretation of reprimanding and apologizing differs from mine or Merriam Webster.  I did learn, like anyone else who saw the presser, that OSU suspended their coach for the first two games of the upcoming season and fined him $250,000.  In the months to come, I'm fairly certain that the NCAA will determine that the punishment is insufficient.  Just how much more is piled on in this scenario remains to be seen, and right now I don't care.

Here's what I do care about.  In this situation, Tressel is completely indefensible.  Several months prior to his players being suspended, Tressel was made aware of a situation that involved improper benefits, a drug dealer, and a federal investigation into that drug dealer.  His choice was to keep that information to himself.  In case you're unaware, every single college football program has legal counsel available to it.  Coaches and players alike are instructed that those resources are available to them specifically for instances like this.  Furthermore, when you're the biggest name at the biggest university in the country, confidentiality is something you just don't have to worry about.  As a college football fan, I'm extremely disappointed that Tressel insulted my intelligence enough to imply that the real reason he kept this completely to himself was out of concern for his players and not wanting to interfere with a federal investigation.

I suppose that seems like a sincere enough statement coming from a widely respected college football coach - until you actually think about it.  Tressel's press conference statements urge you to believe that he was at risk of interfering with a federal investigation by consulting with anyone else at the university.  So the drug dealing tattoo artist who was the subject of that investigation felt comfortable consulting with an attorney, and the very same attorney was comfortable exchanging emails with a college football coach about the investigation, but the wholesome football coach felt by protecting his own interests he would be at risk of interfering with the investigation?  Give me a break.  That is impossible for me to believe.

On top of that, by keeping this a secret, he has jeopardized all of the victories compiled during the 2010 season.  In doing so, by being concerned about the players, of which there were two at the time, he showed no concern for every other player on the roster that did thing the right way and busted their asses all season.  That, to me, is a pretty glaring contradiction.  This wasn't about the players.  It wasn't about respecting the investigative process.  It was about winning football games.

The fact of the matter is, Tressel tried to sweep this under the rug and failed miserably.  Only after his players were caught and subsequently suspended did he divulge this information to university officials.  Even if you accept this as a simple mistake, it's a mistake that may very well result in Ohio State having to vacate the wins from the 2010 season.  That decision will be made by the NCAA eventually.  Ultimately, though, it doesn't matter.  Regardless of the punishment, Tressel has sullied his name and opened himself up to criticism on a level he hasn't yet seen, and he deserves it.  This isn't the first time Tressel's name has been connected to controversy.  This is, however, the first time he hasn't been able to turn a blind eye to it and wriggle free.

Before I go, it's important to note that I've always respected Jim Tressel.  For the most part, I still do.  College football has plenty of flaws, and the coaches have made their way by turning a blind eye to improprieties for decades.  I still think there are few college coaches as good as Tressel.  In fact, I still think that he's a good guy who does care about his players.  While I'm not an Ohio State fan, I have always respected what Tressel has accomplished there.  Few recruit with the success he has, and despite being criticized for his conservative play-calling, his teams win more than 80 percent of their games, and he has a dominated the Big Ten since he made the drive from Youngstown to Columbus.

Ultimately, that's the reason I'm disappointed.  When dirtballs act like dirtballs, I shrug my shoulders because I expect it.  When the best at what they do fall off their pedestal like Tressel has here, it makes me wonder just how deeply rooted the problems in college football are.

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A couple of things I keep hearing that need to be addressed.

- This whole thing never should've been a problem because the memorabilia belonged to the players.

This is wrong on a couple of levels.  First of all, it's a rule.  Making an argument against the rules in place is the equivalent of complaining about needing ten yards for a first down or only getting three points for a field goal.  Whether you like the rule or not, it is a well known rule that the players are apprised of prior to every season.  Schools have entire departments devoted to compliance, and it's naive to think that the players at Ohio State were unaware of the violations they were committing.  Furthermore, Terrelle Pryor admitted in his press conference at the Sugar Bowl, that he knew he was committing an infraction when he traded his goods for his tats.

Secondly, if you dislike this rule, you don't fully understand how slimy college football boosters can be.  If players were allowed to sell their memorabilia, which has no true set market, nothing would prevent a booster with deep pockets from paying exorbitant prices for any item the player owned and calling it memorabilia.  For example, if players were allowed to sell their items, what would prevent a wealthy booster from writing a player a $10,000 check for a pair of used shoes?  Without this rule, you'd see a loophole in college sports that would effectively allow college boosters to pay players.  Even if you think college players deserve to be paid (another terrible idea), this would be the wrong way to accomplish that because of the imbalance it would create.

- Cam Newton didn't even get a slap on the wrist, so the NCAA must be targeting Ohio State.

Utter nonsense.  The NCAA will always have the burden of proof.  At the end of the investigation into Newton, the NCAA didn't have any proof that he had solicited his services to Mississippi State and no transaction was ever made between the two parties.  No proof, no punishment.  Personally, I think Cam Newton is as dirty as they come.  I'm quite certain that the same kid who has said previously that his father is involved in every decision he makes knew damn well that his dad was trying to get paid.  I wouldn't be surprised if, like Reggie Bush, we find out in a couple of years that the reason Newton ended up at Auburn is because they paid better.  If and when that happens, you'd see Newton forfeit his Heisman and you'd see Auburn placed on probation.  However, in the limited time frame they had to work with, the NCAA didn't have proof of anything other than the fact that Cecil Newton is a bit of a douche.

This situation is entirely different from Newton's because everything that happened is documented.  The players were caught, and unless they find a surgeon who's willing to trade laserr removal for an autograph, they wear the proof on their arms.  Additionally, Tressel's emails are available online right now.  Bottom line, every part of this story can be proven.  Therein lies the difference, and drawing comparisons to the Newton situation in the SEC doesn't work; even for the most dyed in the wool Ohio State fans.