I am not all in

[buckeyebri]

I have stayed out of the fray on this one for a long time, probably in denial, hoping something else would come to the surface clearing Tress. Just not happening though and I am thoroughly dismayed by what has occurred.

I had always lauded Tress and respected him for bringing back respectability to the program and cleaning up the mess of irresponsibility and a program that was out of control that Cooper left behind. With what is out there now it doesn't look like anything has really changed and that decisions and priorities are out of whack with the mission of the University.

You can say all you want about what other programs and coaches have done and how tOSU gets treated differently by the masses and by the media. Unless something comes to light that we are unaware of, this mess is shameful and there was total disregard for the rules. What gets handed down by the NCAA and the dragging through the mud that is currently going on in the media is totally deserved based on the evidence that is there.

Personally, I think Tress should step down and take full responsibility for this issue. It may be the only way to begin repairing what was once a fine reputation of humility, honesty, and integrity.

 

[localyokel]

You can kind of deal with and accept 18-22 year old student athletes making mistakes. But this...well, I'm having a really hard time sugar coating it.

One of the dominant feelings I have about this situation is bewilderment.

We're accustomed (sadly) to having the "how could he have such poor judgment that he threw his future away" conversation about 18-year-olds. How many promising young athletes have squandered their gifts and destroyed their hope of a productive, fulfilling life by some foolish, wholly unnecessary action?

Yet, here we have a man--not a boy--a man with a lifetime invested in his work and in his legacy who gambled it all on...on what? The outcome of one football season? Covering up for a handful of players who clearly did not value the traditions of their university?
(How many of you would kill for a pair of gold pants?)

How could he possibly have not thought through the repercussions of this concealment? What did he prize so highly that it tipped the scales against the university, his integrity, his reputation? What value could have possibly outweighed the irretrievable intangibles that he has now forfeited forever? And, how could a grown man of his supposed intelligence have possibly thought that trade was a bargain?

If you know a man by what he most values, then I don't know our coach at all, because for the life of me, I can't figure it out.

 

[Diego-Bucks]

Err, just wanted to point something out because I've seen several posters do it and I nitpick at these things.. When you say "just my imo", or in this case "in my humble imho", you are literally saying "in my humble in my humble opinion". And that jusy sounds silly imho ;P

But yeah, I agree. But I also think that a lot of us just need to rant or vent at a time like this. It helps us deal ya know? So beat the shit out of this dead horse, I say.

In my imo, the "in my imo" was a funny bad usage of grammar/internet slang used by Beaver on one of the scUM websites.

He'd preface his thoughts with "In my imo, RichRod is doing great!" I don't know precisely when this happened, but I think it caught on within the last year on this here good ol' boy BP website.

 

[jlb1705]

In my imo, the "in my imo" was a funny bad usage of grammar/internet slang used by Beaver on one of the scUM websites.

He'd preface his thoughts with "In my imo, RichRod is doing great!" I don't know precisely when this happened, but I think it caught on within the last year on this here good ol' boy BP website.

In my IMO, it's just shenanigans.

 

[Bucklion]

In my IMO, it's just shenanigans.

IMO in my IMO, MHO is it is travishamockery.

 

[scarletmike]

So what we're really saying here is that this is all BKB's doing? Or wait, would it be my doing, or maybe...ah, what the heck, we're all BKB.











Of course, that is just my IMHO.

 

[DiaBuckeye]

Bahahah OK guys I get it.

:groove3::groove3:

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

The Dispatch seems to be taking a rather relentless anti-JT line. Unless the manner in which Ohio's Greatest Home Newspaper operates has changed drastically since I moved away, that isn't happening unless publisher (and former Ohio State board of trustees Chairman) JF Wolfe hasn't signed off on it.

 

[Gatorubet]

well this portion from the article doesn't look good. Tressel also lied to the athletic department, before being confronted with the evidence.

With this from Bill, I for the life of me can't figure out the "I stand with Tress" thread. It looks like an Auburn site.

I can get a decision to say that the balancing scale of good to bad that Tress has done for the university results in a weighing where good far outweighs the bad. I can see that - agree with that - and accept the rationalization. Hell, not rationalization, the empirical outcome favors Tress. But to think that black helicopters and secret FBI deals are the only thing that kept him from turning in his super stars for improper benefits - which could have screwed the 2010 season - is so far removed from what likely occurred as to be LOL humorous to a fan of another program casually dropping in to the board to see what tOSU fans think. This is like everyone here looking in on and laughing about the skunk bear board standing on one leg and one eye closed to defend Richrod.

Tress is not Richrod. Tress is not a bad person, and the good he has done is not all an "act". He is a fine man and a great teacher...usually. But he is not a saint, apparently. I have seen the veneration that y'all hold for the man over my four years on this site. I think that had he not been so highly revered by the fan base, with an almost cult-like devotion, his very, very understandable human failing would be better understood - or at least accepted.

 

[ohiovol]

There is one thread for those who want to voice their unequivocal support of Jim Tressel. I respect others opinions so instead of turning that thread into a trainwreck I'll simply post my thoughts here and hope for the same treatment.

After reading the emails there is no way I can buy the story about Tressel keeping it quiet for the safety of the kids. IMO he used that as an excuse to keep a couple of players he knew damn good and well should have been ineligible, eligible at the start of what was a NC contending season.

I also think the 2 game suspension by OSU is no better than Tennessee backing Bruce Pearl. Tressel should have gotten a years suspension if not removed from his post.

I know from PM's and feedback that I'm not alone so I thought I'd provide a thread for those of the dissenting opinion to go without starting any holy wars on the site.

As a Vols fan who has seen his favorite basketball team go through this same situation, I agree with this. Just for the record, I do think Tennessee will be firing Pearl in the near future.

 

[808 Buck]

The Dispatch seems to be taking a rather relentless anti-JT line.

After being "scooped" by outsiders, they will do everything possible to reestablish their "investigative journalistic integrity." My guess is that the Dispatch will be going over every minute detail surrounding the program for the rest of the JT era. Not pleasant, but that's what drives today's media.

 

[Diego-Bucks]

With this from Bill, I for the life of me can't figure out the "I stand with Tress" thread. It looks like an Auburn site.

I can get a decision to say that the balancing scale of good to bad that Tress has done for the university results in a weighing where good far outweighs the bad. I can see that - agree with that - and accept the rationalization. Hell, not rationalization, the empirical outcome favors Tress. But to think that black helicopters and secret FBI deals are the only thing that kept him from turning in his super stars for improper benefits - which could have screwed the 2010 season - is so far removed from what likely occurred as to be LOL humorous to a fan of another program casually dropping in to the board to see what tOSU fans think. This is like everyone here looking in on and laughing about the skunk bear board standing on one leg and one eye closed to defend Richrod.

Tress is not Richrod. Tress is not a bad person, and the good he has done is not all an "act". He is a fine man and a great teacher...usually. But he is not a saint, apparently. I have seen the veneration that y'all hold for the man over my four years on this site. I think that had he not been so highly revered by the fan base, with an almost cult-like devotion, his very, very understandable human failing would be better understood - or at least accepted.

Great point, especially the bold. However, as a lawyer, can you not at least acknowledge the fairly large gaps of information that we are given? Further, as a lawyer, can you not understand the need to weave the tapestry of the story to fill in those gaps?

The difference's in each of our tapestries are probably based on the biases inherent (or not present in some of our cases) about how we feel about Tressel, the role of a head coach, the role of a university leader, etc. But outside of the craziest of theories, I don't know that anything presented would utterly surprise me one way or the other.

My extreme view #1: Tressel had to keep quiet for a variety of real, or perceived, reasons dealing with confidentiality, player safety and/or a federal investigation.

Extreme view #2: Tressel kept quiet to preserve a possible 2010 national championship.

As with most of reality, there is a lot of gray area.

*added* I still fail to see this as a big deal. Again, this all stems from selling property as a violation. It has never been persuasive in my eyes to make this a big deal, and so I treat it as indifference mostly. I could care less that JT withheld information about kids selling property. Its almost laughable that it is the #1 sports story.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

After being "scooped" by outsiders, they will do everything possible to reestablish their "investigative journalistic integrity." My guess is that the Dispatch will be going over every minute detail surrounding the program for the rest of the JT era. Not pleasant, but that's what drives today's media.

This is true. My worry is that--given the way the Dispatch has historically operated--this is coming either at the behest of or with the approval of one of the most powerful men in the state and a former Chair of the Ohio State BoT. Not the kind of people we need to be alienating!

 

[Bleed S & G]

I love Jim Tressel. I really think he should be sitting out the entire 2011 season, though.

 

[Bleed S & G]

This is true. My worry is that--given the way the Dispatch has historically operated--this is coming either at the behest of or with the approval of one of the most powerful men in the state and a former Chair of the Ohio State BoT. Not the kind of people we need to be alienating!

They still print newspapers?