I am not all in

[scarletngray]

As far as I can see there are three possibilities as to why he sat on those e-mails:

1. He actually didn't sit on them and turned them over to GS and is now protecting him. This, I find to be absurd. Ohio State coming clean and firing Gene Smith would be infinitely easier, more palatable to the OSU community and gone over better with the national press far better than what we have. I lend no creedence to the notion that he's falling on a hand grenade for anyone.

2 (and what I believe to be the case). That HIS way of doing things had become so insular and self-righteous as to be incompatible with university policies and organizational requirements.

3. That it was all about stonewalling and covering up to keep these guys on the field. Just because some rival fans are taking this tac doesn't mean that it automatically and by deault becomes groundless. JT has a track record of giving his stars too many chances all the way back to ysu. We all point to TS to justify it, but there are plenty cases where he was wrong and should have benched or dismissed the transgressor (clarett and reynolds). There's enough in JT's pass to justify this as at least a possibility in his decision.

How about possibility number four:

4. Tress is loyal to a fault. In an attempt to protect a good friend who requested confidentiality (because of the nature of the case and his own involvement as legal counsel and his violating law), he made an error in judgment and is now paying the price.

I tend to believe number four personally.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

On the field, I've almost always been "all in" because the guy can flat out coach.

Off the field, I've always been a bit skeptical - yes he's good with discipline when it's Marcel Frost or Erik Haw or James Scott or some other non-contributor ... but he has allowed far too many star players to tarnish his reputation, going all the way back to Ray Isaacs at YSU, and of course MoC, Troy, and now Pryor here at tOSU. I do believe that JT is a high character guy in most respects, but it does appear that he has occasional bouts of wilfull ignorance, especially when an irreplaceable player is concerned.

Does he do it any moreso than other coaches though? With Tress, no other program has had a better combination of success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. A couple hiccups doesn't erase that.

 

[ScarletArrow]

Even though I'm in my mid-30's I consider JT to be a "father-figure".

I can remember when I finally realized - from an adult perspective - that my own father was not perfect and made a whole lot of mistakes in his life.

I sort of feel the same way about Tressel now...saddened by coming to grips with the imperfections of an icon that had such a prominent part of my life, and relieved to know that despite his humanness he really does believe in and try to live by higher ideals.

 

[matcar]

How about possibility number four:

4. Tress is loyal to a fault. In an attempt to protect a good friend who requested confidentiality (because of the nature of the case and his own involvement as legal counsel and his violating law), he made an error in judgment and is now paying the price.

I tend to believe number four personally.

They guy who you're saying is a good friend of JT can't even spell his name correctly. Are we sure he's really a good friend or just a big tOSU football fan.

 

[BUCKYLE]

They guy who you're saying is a good friend of JT can't even spell his name correctly. Are we sure he's really a good friend or just a big tOSU football fan.

Exactly. It's common knowledge that close friends don't make tpyos, and of course, that big fans don't know how to spell the name of their favorite coach.

 

[matcar]

Exactly. It's common knowledge that close friends don't make tpyos, and of course, that big fans don't know how to spell the name of their favorite coach.

The dude sending those emails sounds kinda creepy to me. You really think he's a close buddy of JT?

 

[CleveBucks]

If he was a close buddy of JT, he'd probably have his office and cell phone numbers and would have just called him up. Even as a not-so-close friend, I'm amazed the attorney was dumb enough to put anything in writing, especially sending to a University-owned email account that is subject to the FOIA.

 

[SmoovP]

.....

Ohio State? My god, they have failed our moral compass and should be condemned from the football universe.

.....

With all due respect, that's to be expected when you set yourself up as better than everyone else.

 

[OHSportsFan]

The dude sending those emails sounds kinda creepy to me. You really think he's a close buddy of JT?

If anyone here doesn't have any creepy friends, it's probably because the 'creepy friend' is you. :p

 

[Nicknam4]

I feel like something else is going on....like when someone asked if he forwarded the email, he was about to say yes when Gene stopped him.

Also, Gene said that tressel was "sorry" but Tressel never actually apologized.

I can't help but wonder if they are throwing JT under the bus.

 

[Zippercat]

There's no way I can reconcile the emails with JT's statements. He knew details, including names, and he knew it was a violation. I also can't see how the NCAA will be able to believe JT either. Next step: OSU forced to forfeit the 2010 regular season and more. How can the NCAA allow OSU to knowingly use ineligible players? As JT said, their being declared ineligible was "inevitable." :(

Off topic: How much of a dufus was Gee in the presser? The sound bites taken from that make him sound 10 times worse than he did with his silly Little Sisters of the Poor cracks!

 

[matcar]

If anyone here doesn't have any creepy friends, it's probably because the 'creepy friend' is you. :p

That's true. Nobody is creepier than me. Well, maybe that toaster lovin' dude is....but that's for another thread.

 

[strohs]

I feel like something else is going on....like when someone asked if he forwarded the email, he was about to say yes when Gene stopped him.

Also, Gene said that tressel was "sorry" but Tressel never actually apologized.

I can't help but wonder if they are throwing JT under the bus.

In the absence of evidence to support this, I have to agree with Jaxbuck's original post.
But, deep inside, i want to believe that they are throwing JT under the bus as I still have trouble believing he intentionally sat on this, its just too out of character...

 

[southcampus]

Does he do it any moreso than other coaches though? With Tress, no other program has had a better combination of success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. A couple hiccups doesn't erase that.

My thoughts exactly. In order to run an elite program, you're going to have to encounter some bad apples. We've had a few, we've also had a few that have made some bad decisions, but that doesn't make them bad people (I'd say Troy, TP, Boom, etc would fit into that category). Tressel made a mistake here but to me, it's nothing that I can't forgive and move forward from as a fan. I'd be far more upset about a kid dying because of his actions rather than his ignorance to this particular issue. (See Brian Kelly at Notre Dame).

 

[Smooth Olaf]

From where I sit, Tressel messed up, lied, tried to cover it up, and by doing so made things worse than anyone thought they could possibly be. In Tressel I trust? Not any more. This is an embarassment to not only the football team but the entire athletic department. You don't think this will be the primary non-basketball related conversation during the Big Ten tournament? Watch.

The whole situation is a freaking embarrassment. The so-called punishment makes things even worse. There's nothing good about this situation. Nothing.