Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel Suspended

Withholding Information

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has been suspended by OSU for the first two games of next season and fined $250,000 for withholding information about his players’ involvement in selling football memorabilia in exchange for benefits. As you may recall in my article “Suspended Players Lead Ohio State to Bowl Victory,” five OSU players, including QB Terrelle Pryor, were suspended for the first five games of the 2011-2012 NCAA season but were still allowed to play in Sugar Bowl against Arkansas after it was found that they violated NCAA rules. Now, it has been discovered that months before the NCAA found out about the players selling their football items, their coach found out about it and decided not to report it to the school nor the NCAA, hoping that everything would disappear and his star players could remain on the field.

Step In NCAA

Ohio State was smart to suspend Tressel before the NCAA did, hoping that their punishment would suffice and the NCAA would not have to take further actions towards the coach. However, the first two games of the season is really nowhere near enough. The NCAA better step in and bump that suspension up big time in order to not only give him a proper punishment, but also be consistent in their punishing of coaches throughout collegiate sports.

Bruce Pearl of Tennessee, one of the premier coaches in college basketball, was suspended for the Volunteers’ first eight regular season SEC games for not just violating recruiting rules, but lying about it to investigators. It is because of this precedent set that the NCAA should come down on Tressel in a similar fashion. Let’s face it, suspending Tressel for the first few games of the season is not going to do much considering who Ohio State plays in those games. These are, for the most part, cupcake games to boost their record and get some confidence in the team before Big Ten play begins. Thus, Tressel, like Pearl, needs to miss games that really matter. In my opinion, Tressel should be suspended at least half of the Buckeyes’ Big Ten regular season games. Missing games against INSERT WHO THEY PLAY HERE, won’t teach Tressel a lesson nor will its punishment be enough to fit the crime. What will send a message is missing games against INSERT BIG 10 GAMES HERE.

Think that is a bit harsh? Look at what he did. He knowingly lied about his players violating NCAA rules in order to keep those athletes on the field and contend for a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl birth, which the team was favored to do in the beginning of the season. He purposefully failed to mention receiving emails from an attorney regarding the illegal activities his players took part in so that the team could hold up to its high football expectations for the season. A message needs to be sent that regardless of how high profile the coach is, and Tressel is about as high profile as they get, that kind of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated from anyone.