tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311787837526355.post8482404624552311491..comments2023-10-16T05:12:31.101-04:00Comments on It's Boris Diaw Time!: BDT Thought of the Day (Mar 11)Jon Landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285647002396519452noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311787837526355.post-79385195859445770142011-03-11T21:42:38.287-05:002011-03-11T21:42:38.287-05:00I don't doubt for a second that Tressel aims t...I don't doubt for a second that Tressel aims to produce quality men but I don't believe for a second that he prioritizes that over winning football games...and he shouldn't! He gets paid to win football games!<br /><br />As for the conspiracy theory; I find it very interesting. It seems odd that he would get this email and tell absolutely nobody even though it clearly indicates Pryor and Posey were in more trouble then just NCAA violations. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he approached them about the situation. Unfortunately, I think that makes the cover-up look even worse and, if I were an Ohio State fan, I would hope that would never come out. Think about it, rather its reality or not, it would look like Tressel conspired with rule breaking players to cover up the situation. Not good...Jon Landrumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06285647002396519452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311787837526355.post-9398268058384852852011-03-11T21:14:45.187-05:002011-03-11T21:14:45.187-05:001-I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment that...1-I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment that he is naive..and 2...I have a new conspiracy theory for you.<br />I've been born and bred, a buckeye fan. So since Tressel's hire, I've heard him....a lot, and I'm thoroughly convinced that his highest priority is to produce quality men from his program. My conspiracy theory is that, in the interest of personal growth, what if Jim did take the e-mail somewhere....to Pryor and Posey? I wonder if he offered THEM the high road or the cover-up...Remember, we've seen Tressel dismiss a star player who didn't want to stick with the program during a time when they were looking at back-to-back BCS championship bids... (cue the 50's radio mystery music)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13479702144884181982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311787837526355.post-3598086728384679932011-03-11T20:16:43.132-05:002011-03-11T20:16:43.132-05:00I completely agree with most of what you're sa...I completely agree with most of what you're saying and there is almost no chance that Tressel is fired unless there is more to this than has been made known Honestly, if I were an Ohio State fan, I would not want Tressel fired. Like I said, just because he did one wrong thing doesn't make him a bad person and I certainly don't think he is. Of course, that doesn't change the amount of violations they've reported/had and it doesn't change the state of the program right now. It's really easy to say that these types of situations are because of the "celebrity" status of the student-athletes, but don't other programs deal with the same thing? Why isn't Florida dealing with these types of issues constantly? What about Alabama with Saban or Texas with Mack Brown? There's a little bit more to it and I think, perhaps, that Tressel is a bit naive about things sometimes. Again, I'm not suggesting there's anything sinister or that he isn't running a "clean" program, but I wonder if he is totally in touch with his players and what goes on. Of course, that's merely speculation on my part but it all looks bad when added in to this current problem.<br /><br />You mentioned that Tressel found himself in a difficult situation. You're absolutely right! The coach of one of the most prominent football programs in the country received an email about his star players being involved in situations that compromised their eligibility. That's an incredibly difficult situation! To use that as an excuse or a reason is nothing more than a cop out though. We are all faced with difficult decisions and it is ALWAYS our responsibility to make the right decision. I'm not judging him as a person because there is no distinction to make between he and I. Again, we all do wrong things. However, we have every right to judge him as a football coach. He is paid big money to make the right decision in that situation and the right decision couldn't be more clear. It's even in his contract that he must disclose any rules violation. Simply forward the email to the AD, go to his office, and have a chat. That's it! He didn't take the easy path...he took the dumb path.<br /><br />Finally, I think you're being extraordinarily hopeful with your prediction of minor sanctions. I've done some research into similar violations heard enough comments from college football experts. These are not minor violations and lying to the NCAA is ALWAYS taken very seriously, especially when viewed in light of the current NCAA climate. There WILL be scholarship reductions. He WILL face a longer suspension. He WILL be fined more money. Remember, this new information clearly shows that Tressel willingly and knowingly played INELIGIBLE players. I will be absolutely shocked if many games from last year are not vacated. The players were only allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl because of the ignorance plea and that obviously is out the window. At worst, I would expect the Sugar Bowl game to be vacated. The postseason ban may or may not happen. I would think maybe a one year postseason ban, but that probably depends on a lot of different things. Finally, there IS a chance that Tressel loses his job over this. Make no mistake, this could potentially blow up even further if the NCAA does some extra digging. There have long been rumors about Pryor receiving "benefits" and if they find any more then you're going to see a guillotine rolled onto campus.Jon Landrumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06285647002396519452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311787837526355.post-53349840174227102972011-03-11T19:25:12.846-05:002011-03-11T19:25:12.846-05:00I have long agreed with you and most of my non-OSU...I have long agreed with you and most of my non-OSU fan friends that Tressel is kind of a "two-trick" pony. I, as a Buckeye fan, will stand here and say that I think he is not a gifted gameday coach, but rather that his strengths are twofold: 1-recruiting (as if I needed to point that one out). The quality of talent that he's been able to bring into that program during his tenure has been immense, and almost unrivaled (Pete Carrol was probably on the same plane). 2-looking out for the integrity and moral wellbeing of his players. I know you provided that stat of all the infractions since he's been there, but by and large, players leaving Ohio State have had upstanding careers, excepting a few bad apples (Maurice Clarett and Santonio Holmes, namely). I think part of the problem is that college football, and we as fans, have turned these student-athletes into celebrities. They live the celebrity life (remember LeBron's legal troubles before he got to the NBA, and he was still in high school).<br /> Conclusion: What I'm NOT doing here is saying that Tressel didn't lie, or make a host of bad decisions surrounding this situation. What I am saying is that I think he has found himself in a situation where, as you alluded, we've all been. There was an easy road that was wrong and a hard road that was tough. He took the easy road, which led to another bad choice, and another, and so on. When I was in 7th grade, I lied to my parents about a school project, and when my grade reflected it, I had to choose between coming clean or another lie...guess which one I chose? I think this is exactly where Tressel has found himself-where one single problem has escalated beyond belief. My guess is that 1-there's no way he's fired (Columbus would explode) and 2-that the NCAA will issue an additional fine, and probably 3 more games to have him match the suspensions of his players, but nothing beyond that. You could be right, but I think that this situation distinguishes itself just enough from the USC violations, that the punishment won't be as harsh.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13479702144884181982noreply@blogger.com