Right around the time of the scandal, a former Ohio State starting lineman was arrested for drug trafficking.  In addition, an Ohio State recruit from Youngstown had recently been shot in what was assumed to be drug/gang related violence. 

When considering  those issues, it puts the emails to Tressel in a different light IMO.  The emails basically said that a federal drug trafficking investigation into the tattoo parlor had uncovered Ohio State athletic memorabilia, including items previously owned by players x, y and z.  

My first concern in that situation would be drugs, violence, harm and death.  The items would be nothing to me besides their use in connecting which players were associating with this potentially violent person or group of people.  The emails made no mention as to how the items ended up at the parlor or whether they were sold, traded or simply gifted to the parlor.  Reading those emails you see - FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, DRUGS, TRAFFICKING, VIOLENCE, PRISON.  Remember, you know the young men personally and care about them.

My first move would be to contact the alpha player involved or the person that could influence or sway the alpha player.  Obviously, if I had no regard for the program, I would contact all of the players and their families.  However, if worried about the health of the program, I would try to keep my contact to one (1) or two (2) people who could take care of the situation.  Because, even without concern for NCAA violations, the players' connection to drug trafficking alone would be worth keeping out of the rumor mill, or worse yet, the news airwaves.  

If my first move failed, I would then meet with all of the players to tell them to stay away from these characters and we would also have a long conversation about who they associate with and other life-choices.  I may also make them "think" about it before or after practice with added physical activities.  I played a non-lucrative college sport and saw illegal actions, university student code violations and team rules violations punished in-house without publicity and without the involvement of the NCAA, the university higher-ups or law enforcement. 

As for the signed compliance documents, which are the most damning IMO, people tend to refer to that act as some grand event where Tressel made this paramount decision to sign documents stating that he does not know of any NCAA violations.  However, I am certain the documents were part of a much larger and standard package of documents that nearly every coach in America simply rubber stamps and moves off of their desks.  Further, imagine the number of rumors and behind-closed-doors matters that every head coach deals with each year.  Did this particular event stand out at the time the document was signed?  I doubt it.

In addition, as an attorney, if a government agency were to annually put a stack of standard documents on my desk requiring me, among numerous other things, to affirm that I am not aware of any state or federal violations committed by any client during the past year, I would sign and affirm.  If I were having a beer with friends and was asked the same thing, I would say, "[w]ell, I'm not certain of anything but this NYC international shipping company that has Tony on the payroll as a consultant, well....."  My affirmation would be truthful because I do not know anything for certain.  It would be foolish of me to do anything but sign the documents.  At the same time, common sense allows reasonable minds to guess about the missing pieces.

As far as looking the other way: I am almost positive Tressel did look the other way.  I am also almost positive that 99% (being conservative) of the other coaches do the same thing and are certainly not seeking out rumors and news about violators.  Division 1 NCAA athletics is a black market industry - you have to hustle to survive.  One is not looking to Barney Fife the players in the program (That's jaywalking!)

I'll end this ridiculously long post with this:  How many savvy cheaters/rule violators communicate via email, let alone work/state email?  Sounds like the work of a naive Grandpa or a newbie to me.  Even Tressel-haters don't call the man stupid.  If knowingly cheating, sending emails about this topic via the osu.edu email address is entirely stupid. 

Anyway, the next time your child breaks a law of any kind, felony, misdemeanor or violation, remember to turn him or her over to the relevant government authorities.  With their unbiased and arms-length perspective, they will more appropriately manage the severity of punishment for your child.  They know better than you.



 

Instead you just bury it and let it continue?  Quietly contact your star player's "mentor" back in PA?  Go back to your office and read your bible and put it in Jesus' hands?  Because that's exactly what he did when his players were involved in this allegedly "dangerous" situation.

As for the NCAA compliance document, he signed it after knowing that his best players were involved in the swag for tats dealing.  That's not something that would have slipped his mind.  After it came out, he specifically lied to his employer TWICE about having any prior knowledge of it.

 

Again, even after the initial scandal of memorabilia for tattoos broke, Tressel LIED about any prior knowledge to the university.  After his e-mails were discovered, he was again asked, and he LIED again.  These are facts.  Not conjecture.  Not the word of friends of his.  Not the wishful thinking of Christians incapable of seeing fault in one of their own.  Facts.

 

I'm not saying the man is dumb, but that doesn't make him brilliant or even highly intelligent.  He was a football coach, not a constitutional scholar or physicist.  I think it's quite plausible that he had no clue that those e-mails were being automatically archived on a server where he couldn't delete them and was arrogant (an arrogant football coach, who would think?) enough to believe that he could get away with it.  And he would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for that meddling kid and his e-mail searches.

 

Regarding the highlighted text:  It's definitely a valid excuse that the documents were part of a larger package of documents.  In related news, it's okay to lie under oath/in court if the lie is just a small part of a larger package of testimony.

I don't know all the facts and circumstances of the Tressel situation.  But if you're going to discuss it, at least do it with some reasonable regard for the truth and decency.



 

I don't like Tressel, but I do believe that there is one key component that a lot of people are overlooking that would make this decision somewhat logical.  UA is a financial mess.  The last President has been spending money like a drunken sailor for a decade trying to turn the place into something that it was never intended to be, and quite frankly, it was idiotic for the state to save it and fold it into the system in the 60s when it was already operating a four year university 30 miles away.  Anyways, UA is headed off a financial cliff that the new President is going to have to deal with and who better to go down to Columbus with his hat in hand and lobby the football obsessed legislators for the inevitable bailout than Tressel.

 

The man is still a god in Youngstown. His name is on their IPF. He was inducted into the YSU hall of fame last year and received a five minute standing ovation at halftime of the football game. People in the Mahoning Valley have been wanting him to take this role since YSU's last president retired (their current president has only been there seven months). The area is already buzzing about his application. No doubt he'd be able to raise a lot of money for the school as president.

 

I'm really curious as to how much money this guy can raise.  Can he generate some excitement among existing donors and alumni and perhaps get them to give a little bit more?  Sure, I can see that.  The notion that he is going to create this whole new donor base for a university though is ludicrous.  Ohio State alumni are not suddenly going to start cutting checks to YSU because their disgraced football coach is the President there, and the OSU t-shirt alums who worship Tressel don't even donate to OSU.  I think his impact is going to be marginal.  Giving might go up a bit, but he's not going to take YSU to some entire other level of university fundraising.

 

It is to get YSU/Akron alumni who root for OSU to send checks.

I think he will raise substantial money. Tressel's name may be disgraced in some parts of the nation, but northeastern Ohio is not one of those places.

 

Are we just talking about athletics?  Again, I highly doubt that those YSU/Akron alums who are t-shirt bucknuts are donating to Ohio State.  If they are donating to their school, great, but how much more are they going to give.  And what do you consider "substantial?"  A marginal increase of the existing small donor base?  A jump into Ohio/Miami/UC leagues?  Big Ten type fundraising?

And how deep is the potential in any event.  Neither school has a deep well of wealthy alumni.  Neither school has a national alumni base.  Neither school has ever been a significant fundraiser in the past, and I highly doubt simply hiring a football coach will change that.   Sure he might be able to squeeze a little more money out of existing channels, but I think it is purely speculative to think he can suddenly take schools that have never raised much money into the past and vault them into the next level much less the big time.