Comments on: Tressel Resigns

Tressel Resigns

(Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:58:07 -0800

Jim Tressel, one of the most successful college football coaches in history, has resigned as coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. After several players were discovered to have traded Ohio State football memorabilia for tattoos (actions which represent NCAA violations), it was revealed that Tressel knew of the player's actions and attempted to conceal the information from investigators. Though Tressel often projected a squeaky clean, conservative image, detractors have often accused him of hypocrisy.

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:01:25 -0800

As someone currently employed by/attending The Ohio State University, ITS ABOUT DAMN TIME

By: phunniemee

phunniemee — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:03:13 -0800

This is the kind of news that makes grown men sob uncontrollably. People in Ohio: stock up on non-perishables and start barricading your house with sandbags. Your state is about to flood.

By: QuarterlyProphet

QuarterlyProphet — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:10:18 -0800

Months too late.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:13:13 -0800

By: availablelight

availablelight — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:20:06 -0800

Think this is bad? There are still folks upset that legendary OSU coach Woody Hayes was fired by the president of the university....for slugging a player in the face.

By: dry white toast

dry white toast — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:20:51 -0800

It's the NCAA and the Colleges who are the hypocrites, per what delmoi said.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:21:44 -0800

There are so many levels of stupid to this story:

That the players trade memorabilia for tattoos.
That this is considered actionable by the NCAA.
That the supposedly most ethical coach in college football would cover this up.

I'm going to go stick my head in a giant vat of whipped cream. That's how much sense this makes.

By: ardgedee

ardgedee — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:25:46 -0800

Maybe he can get a job with Rich Rodriguez doing a point-counterpoint talk show on ESPN.

By: miguelcervantes

miguelcervantes — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:27:03 -0800

The whole college sports thing is just so dumb. I mean here we have talented people basically being required to work for free, while producing a ton of economic value for the school. Is it any surprise that they are going to find ways to get compensated? 90% of the 'ethical rules' put down by the NCAA are actually just rules put in place to make sure the universities get all the economic benefit. The whole thing is moronic. On the flip side, football players do make some money (Arkansas players, for example, can get ~$17k a year). They're in about the same pay scale as grad students, who are also talented people producing a ton of economic value for the school.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:27:51 -0800

It's never the crime. It's always the cover-up that gets you. Thankfully, MetaFilter has taught me how to dispose of a body.

By: jcking77

jcking77 — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:28:52 -0800

Not since Promise Keeper Bill McCartney guided his Colorado rape train to a fraudulent National Championship in 1990 has college football had such a strong, upstanding conservative Christian presence. You will be missed, Jim

By: dirtylittlecity

dirtylittlecity — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:34:17 -0800

O-H! N-O!

By: robot

robot — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:34:23 -0800

Vest in Peace

By: phunniemee

phunniemee — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:34:54 -0800

For a not-so-subtle commentary on NCAA rules, check out the most recent episode of South Park, Crack Baby Athletic Association.

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:46:48 -0800

I vote we change the school song to fit our school's new outlook, Oh come let's sing the dollar's praise And songs to endless growth raise While our integrity wanes With US News Rankings nurtured NCAA's heat or Gee's slow cold The scandals pass, a few heads will roll But time and "change" will surely show How firm thy greed ... OHIO!

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:04:34 -0800

"Think this is bad? There are still folks upset that legendary OSU coach Woody Hayes was fired by the president of the university....for slugging a player in the face." Think that's bad? He hasn't apologized to the player to this day and we're still naming shit after him. I know faculty who remember when he was coach, players fulfilled all the stereotypes one can imagine about massive, stupid, drunken entitled assholes who would get bailed out no matter how bad they got. The shit apparently continues under the Bruce and Cooper years, though to a lesser extent. If I have one good thing to say about Tressel, its that he clearly turned that around dramatically. OSU football players have an amazing reputation among TAs for getting good grades, earning them, and generally being awesome students.

By: ofthestrait

ofthestrait — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:18:27 -0800

To be fair, Woody Hayes died in 1987, so that apology will be a long time coming.

By: ofthestrait

ofthestrait — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:21:22 -0800

And here's the video of that incident.

By: Fizz

Fizz — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:23:39 -0800

Conspiracy, criminal behavior, unethical morals, IN COLLEGE SPORTS. How shocking. *sigh.

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:02:07 -0800

Tainted players, tainted coach, tainted victories - OSU

By: 1adam12

1adam12 — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:06:08 -0800

Wouldn't it just be better to spin these teams and their association off as for-profit businesses and stop pretending that they have anything at all to do with the mission of an actual university?

By: Fizz

Fizz — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:07:10 -0800

Wouldn't it just be better to spin these teams and their association off as for-profit businesses and stop pretending that they have anything at all to do with the mission of an actual university? Nope, that's why we have the NFL.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:07:11 -0800

From your lips to god's ears, 1adam12.

By: jmd82

jmd82 — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:11:50 -0800

Tainted players, tainted coach, tainted victories - OSU I tend to think that's not just OSU, but rather every major DI team- it's just a matter of who gets caught. What's the saying, "You're not trying if you're not cheating"

By: bbuda

bbuda — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:15:04 -0800

By: jamjam

jamjam — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:35:49 -0800

I give college ball only about a decade anyway. The brain injury thing will kill high school football, and college ball will perforce wither (and pro ball). Fancy helmets that reduce the risk of concussion (if they even work) aren't going to do the trick, either. Recent studies show that better body armor is necessary to reduce brain injury from exposure to explosions: Stronger and tougher body armor to shield the chest, abdomen and back may better protect soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) tied to so-called "shell shock," a new study suggests [Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 70 (5): 399-416]. The mild trauma - resulting from the initial shock of exploding mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - now accounts for more than 80 percent of all brain injuries among U.S. troops. Approximately 160,000 veterans are estimated to have sustained this kind of trauma. I think this means routine football hits will produce the same kinds of problems, and if you can imagine good football without hits, you're a better man than I am.

By: T.D. Strange

T.D. Strange — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:49:50 -0800

I give college ball only about a decade anyway. The brain injury thing will kill high school football, and college ball will perforce wither (and pro ball). I've got 9 billion, 757 million reasons why you're wrong.

By: Balonious Assault

Balonious Assault — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:03:13 -0800

As a Michigan alum who realizes that corruption is rampant in college sports, that Tressel is just one of many coaches covering up violations, and that the current system that insufficiently rewards players for the economic value they provide to their schools is unsustainable it has been 2746 days since Michigan's last victory over Ohio State in football, I have only this to say: Fuck Jim Tressel, and Fuck OSU. ftfy I'm hopeful that this will at least help make the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry interesting again, if Michigan's new coach doesn't turn out to be a colossal dipshit like his predecessor. I'd have never thought that watching the Buckeyes humiliate the Wolverines on the football field year in and year out could ever become boring. As a Buckeye, I'm sad to see Tressel go because he did great things for the program. But they don't call him Senator Tressel for nothing. It was a silly transgression that led to his downfall, but there's likely much more under the surface. Nature of the beast, maybe, but when you profess to hold yourself to a higher standard it's going to be ugly when the veil drops. I am glad to see DeSales grad Luke Fickell at the helm, at least temporarily.

By: AceRock

AceRock — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:05:14 -0800

If you look at it economically from afar, you say here's an organization that, in the name of amateurism, has imposed a plethora of restrictions, a large number of which seem to be consistent with trying to maximize the economic return that the schools get. ... In practice, the NCAA functions as a trade association for the athletic directors and the coaches and the conference commissioners. - Andrew Zimablist, sports economist

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:27:10 -0800

Having grown up in Ann Arbor, but not gone to U of M, I'm suddenly happy but for reasons I don't understand.

By: hal_c_on

hal_c_on — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:47:37 -0800

90% of the 'ethical rules' put down by the NCAA are actually just rules put in place to make sure the universities get all the economic benefit. Could not have said it better...except maybe amped it up to 100%.

By: SMPA

SMPA — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:01:28 -0800

I grew up in Los Angeles planning to go to USC, and then I moved to Ohio in high school and went to OSU. Suffice to say that I'm hoping this means I can start waking up to good news on my freaking Twitter feed again.

By: Ghidorah

Ghidorah — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:17:12 -0800

points, laughs. /MSU fan.

By: bodaciousllama

bodaciousllama — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:41:25 -0800

points, laughs /BSU student

By: suckerpunch

suckerpunch — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:04:50 -0800

The SI article just landed : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/magazine/05/30/jim.tressel/index.html

By: suckerpunch

suckerpunch — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:06:16 -0800

(Sorry for forgetting to format that link correctly - clicky-type link HEAH. Too busy reading 'n all.)

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:15:58 -0800

Just for a fun fact: public university football coaches are the highest paid government employees in the U.S. This year, Jim Tressel was the sixth highest-paid of all of them.

By: Etrigan

Etrigan — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:36:41 -0800

Just finished the article that suckerpunch linked. tl;dr -- Tressel's programs have always attracted boosters who slipped kids a few bucks here and there. He managed to convince every investigator who ever came after him that he knew nothing. And as the NCAA said to USC very, very recently: "That shit don't fly anymore. You should have known." (Also, it appears that he rigged raffles at summer camps when he was an assistant coach, which is just sad.)

By: stratastar

stratastar — Mon, 30 May 2011 19:40:09 -0800

Man, just pay college football and basketball players. This week's South Park was remarkably on-point.

By: dirigibleman

dirigibleman — Mon, 30 May 2011 20:04:55 -0800

From the SI article: Halko says those working in the shop preferred receiving items with multiple autographs. His most memorable acquisition was a scarlet-and-gray training jacket with between 10 and 15 signatures on it, including Tressel's.

By: bardic

bardic — Mon, 30 May 2011 20:43:43 -0800

I made the mistake of driving into Columbus on a lovely Saturday when Michigan was in town. Me and my stupid Ohio librul arts college.

By: bardic

bardic — Mon, 30 May 2011 20:44:51 -0800

Oh, and Christ, what an asshole.

By: stargell

stargell — Mon, 30 May 2011 20:52:02 -0800

I will preface this by saying I Am Not an Economist: Everyone talks about the value these players bring to the university compared to what they receive from the school, but I wonder if the more telling number isn't the value these guys might command on the open football market. For instance, in May 2009, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was a junior, receiving a tuition/stipend package from the school worth, I'm guessing, about $50,000 per year. In May 2010 he signed an NFL contract that will pay him a guaranteed $50 million a year over six years, or $8.3 million per year. Assume for argument's sake that a player's market value rises 20% per year. So, back of a napkin, Sam Bradford was worth about $6.6 million on the open football market in May 2009—about 133 times what he was receiving from Oklahoma. (And in fact, if he had declared for the draft in 2009, he might have received that type of money.) As noted above, the market will try to find a way to compensate these guys. The solution could be something like college baseball—say a draft out of high school that allows players to sign pro contracts. NFL teams pay players whatever they see fit during their college days, then can bring them up to the pro team after two, three or four years, or cut them and let them sign with whomever. The NFL, of course, would never go for something like this, because colleges operate as a de facto free minor league for the pros. But anything's better than the current system, which is both corrupt and unfair to players.

By: iviken

iviken — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:20:44 -0800

The NFL, of course, would never go for something like this, because colleges operate as a de facto free minor league for the pros. Compare and contrast: the Lionel Messi story: "The doctor back in Rosario had prescribed him growth hormones, without which, the doctor said, he would never reach above five feet. The treatment cost $900 a month, and in Argentina that was a working-class wage. His father, a steelworker, thought that, with Leo's talent, there must surely be a football club willing to share the costs. They couldn't find one anywhere in Argentina. An agent organised a trial in Barcelona. (...) Because Rexach had no other paper to hand, Barça gave Messi a contract on a paper napkin. At the age of 13, Leo Messi began to support his entire family", as a member of FC Barcelona's youth academy: "Interestingly, comparatively little time is spent playing football: training takes around 90 minutes a day, with a 90-minute game at the weekend – half the time, Folguera says, spent by top youth academies in England. The rest is spent on education and a few leisure activities, with the idea being that given about 10 per cent of La Masia make it to the senior team (although another nine per cent play in first division sides worldwide), the years spent there for those fail to make the grade are not wholly wasted. "One of the things that makes me proudest is that so many of our young players have university educations," Folguera points out. "In England, when a team selects a young talent, they don't take care of that side of things. We aren't just there to teach them football, we're there to educate them. "From 11 to 18 La Masia is their home, we have to get to know them and teach them, be their family."