On Saturday, Clifford and O'Neal remained on the sidelines wearing yellow 'injury' jerseys. Washington was permitted to play, but he was seemingly relegated to third-team status.
"Well, sometimes when you don't do what you're supposed to do you lose your car keys," Tressel said. "That's as simple as I could put it."
When asked if it appeared Washington had been sent to the back of the pack at corner, Tressel replied, "That's pretty good. You were paying attention."
When asked if the players faced any suspensions in the fall, the coach said, "We'll see. It's a long time between now and then."
Another reporter pressed the issue later in Tressel's 20-minute press conference. His reply:
"It's like anything else. When things aren't like they should be, you lose privileges. You still get to work hard, but maybe on different things. When you repeat mistakes. whether it's on the field, off the field, in the classroom or wherever it happens to be, does it concern you? Absolutely."
When asked if those three players were still members of the team in good standing, Tressel said, "They're on the team, absolutely."
The coach was asked again if the players' conduct over the next several months would impact their status for the first couple of games.
"Everything they do will have an impact," he said.
