Yahoo, Tattoos, and tOSU (1-year bowl ban, 82 scholly limit for 3 years)

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

In May of 2009, The Columbus Dispatch reported that since 2000, Ohio State had reported to the NCAA more than 375 violations -- the most of any of the 69 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that provided documents to the newspaper through public-records requests. Most of the infractions were minor and resulted in little or no punishment.

Self-report-winning! They say this like it's a bad thing.

 

[Mike80]

My first question is, why were confidential details of a federal investigation leaked? Someone should be fired / disbarred / something for that. JT should never have been put in the position that he was...

Exactly. This type of situation should never have rightly gone to the football coach. It SHOULD have gone to the Athletic Department/OSU's legal team first.

It's splitting hairs because it DID go to JT, but it was mis-directed and more or less was the spark that ignited this fire.

Second question is, who the hell was the unnamed source? That will be interesting...

I'd imagine that will come out in the next couple weeks/months.

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Best coach in football. Buckeyenation is 100% behind you. Love you coach Tress.

 

[Ryan36_1]

If I had to guess, and that's all it is at this point is a guess, I would say that Yahoo Sports sent a FOIA request to OSU regarding past emails, looking for anything, especially after OSU's claim that they just learned about TATgate in December. The timeline fits with Yahoo's "two" months of investigation. I would guess that when processing Yahoo's request, Tressel's emails were uncovered and immediately reported.

I think it went more like GS described. School found out, investigated, and then someone involved in investigation (NCAA or tOSU) leaked to Yahoo!

I remember hearing yesterday that Yahoo! just submitted FOIA request yesterday and it was still being processed.

 

[3074326]

What part of believing the situation called for him to maintain confidentiality includes either suspending players or approaching them. That's pretty much the opposite of confidentiality as Tressel understood it in this case. I fail to see how that was not addressed in his statement.

I made a very unclear post. My fault.

I agree with him not suspending the players, as that would have potentially compromised the investigation because of all the questions and digging that would be associated with that.

I do not agree with him just sitting on it for so long without talking to someone. I believe him when he said he did what he thought was right at the time, but it still turned out to be the wrong thing. I'm supporting him here.. the guy made a mistake and owned up to it. Lots of respect for that.

 

[Jagdaddy]

From what we have to go on right now this is the part that still bothers me as well. I am having a hard time completely buying a man of Tressels age and experience got so flustered he just made a big booboo that oh by the way kept some players eligible and helped him win games.


Second point is that JT polishes his image and works the public like no one in recent memory so when I see a 24ish hour delay to get the presser ready I am a bit skeptical when everything is geared to play to the home fans emotions for the guy.

Thirdly, I'd like to know when he was "cleared" to discuss this because I can't help but wonder where all this remorse and hand wringing was before they were outed. When was he going to come clean?

Agree with your first point.

Don't get your second point: The best interests of the institution required a coordinated and well-thought out presser: They handled it quite well in my opinion. 24 hours only seems like a long time in today's instant gratification media environment . . . especially considering that Smith had to fly back home.

On your third point, if they were working with the NCAA on it already (and it's inconceivable that they'd be stupid enough to lie about that) then clearly they were going to come clean when they'd worked it out. I see no validity in your criticism here. All that happened here is that Yahoo was lucky enough to have a leaker (probably in the NCAA itself) and could thereby beat OSU to the punch for the "scoop".

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Link to Ohio State's self-report to NCAA

Apparently, Tressel will be prohibited from participating in spring practice or summer camps this year.

There were three "email strings" between JT and the attorney, two in April of 2010, and one in June of 2010.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

The one lingering criticism of JT that I hear in my circles is that he does treat the program like too much of his own personal fiefdom, immune from the larger ad and university leading to make decisions without seeking counsel from his superiors or considering the larger implications. Sometimes this has all worked out fine (giving TS his second and third chance when there was considerable pressure to cut him loose) other times (not nipping MoC in the bud, not booting Reynolds for the rest of the season) his judgements have come off as shortsightes and in hindsight mistaken.

I feel that today we probably witnesses both the culmination and the end of that managerial style. From now on, I hope, JT is going to be a lot more aware of the bigger picture and the AD's office and Bricker Hall are not going to be left out of the loop.

 

[redbenn]

A few things:

4. Long-term, this doesn't really hurt the program: Players/recruits and parents of players/recruits know that JT will have their back, the hordes of haters nationally were there before and weren't going anywhere anyway, and the two-game suspension is highly unlikely to result in a loss on the field and will presumably give Fickell a chance to show his HC qualifications.

This is what I have been thinking all along. There really isn't a "meh" contingent on the Buckeyes, it's either love or hate. This adds more fuel to the hate, but Buckeye fans will stand by their coach.

The biggest thing out of this is that it isn't recruiting, it isn't backroom 'booster' handshakes... no rules violated benefited the program in any way. But everything added together is a huge black eye to the program. It's March, the BBall team is on the right path, the football team is going to put on a good show in the fall. And it is still 2,663 (and counting) days since Michigan last beat us in football.

Still (and always) proud to be a Buckeye.

 

[Jaxbuck]

GS said they were nearing completion of their investigation with participation by the NCAA and were about to self-report. The leak just made them move it up.

If it isn't OSU in question do you buy that at face value from some other schools AD?

We were just about to come tell you all about it when you caught us keeping it quiet?

 

[3074326]

If there is no documentation(tape/writing)....... it didn't happen.
Just like the rumor about a player/players suspended recently.
This shit doesn't happen in a vacuum. Someone with an agenda started this shit.

There are emails, and apparently enough proof for OSU to suspend and fine its own coach, whom they still supported in the whole mess. I know OSU doesn't have an agenda against OSU.

And I'm not buying the agenda thing from the Yahoo perspective either. Yahoo got a leak and reported it. It was untimely and a little slimy, since apparently OSU was working on self-reporting it, but I don't see it as an agenda as much as a news source breaking a huge story. That's what they do.

 

[Ryan36_1]

If it isn't OSU in question do you buy that at face value from some other schools AD?

We were just about to come tell you all about it when you caught us keeping it quiet?

Yes. No way a lie that wouldn't be outed within 24 hrs.

 

[Jagdaddy]

If it isn't OSU in question do you buy that at face value from some other schools AD?

We were just about to come tell you all about it when you caught us keeping it quiet?

Yes. I don't think anybody's stupid enough to say "we've been working with the NCAA" when they haven't. That's damn near program suicide and would presumably be called out immediately by the NCAA.

 

[Mike80]

Link to Ohio State's self-report to NCAA

Apparently, Tressel will be prohibited from participating in spring practice or summer camps this year.

There were three "email strings" between JT and the attorney, two in April of 2010, and one in June of 2010.

The final line in the report is telling: "With the exception of this mistake, he is a man of integrity and high moral standards."

 

[utgrad73]

There are emails, and apparently enough proof for OSU to suspend and fine its own coach, whom they still supported in the whole mess. I know OSU doesn't have an agenda against OSU.

And I'm not buying the agenda thing from the Yahoo perspective either. Yahoo got a leak and reported it. It was untimely and a little slimy, since apparently OSU was working on self-reporting it, but I don't see it as an agenda as much as a news source breaking a huge story. That's what they do.

and make money slinging it.