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

[t_BuckeyeScott]

Some of this has already been said. But no one post has summed up what I think.

The email situation is not good, and is not clearly owned up too. I'm with others about it being the most troubling/damning problem. I do think it's obvious from the text in the email the lawyer is at least a personal aquaintence and more likely a friend of Coach Tressel. Tressel's statements about why he didn't share the information ring hallow. I tend believe that the cover-up had more to do with the lawyer friend than with the players. The overall tone of the emails seems to have more to do with the memorabilia than with the safety of the players.

I do think in hindsight its really easy to say he should have know better. He should have known better. What was contained in the emails was a clear violation. It is obvious enough that everyone has to wonder what other stuff he has ignored. That is the part that is troubling.

I wonder how much of this being under investigation is what is keeping the story from being fully vetted. I'm wondering if all the facts being laid out would hurt or help JT.

But, Gordon Gee is not a man who is overly in love with athletics, especially at the expense of academic reputation. Gee's clear and obvious respect and backing for JT is huge testament to me. It's not so much Gee's message it's how he said it.

I think JT's track record in other areas should likely give him the benefit of the doubt. However, I can see why outsiders wouldn't.

 

[Bucklion]

I just read the e-mails. I'm gonna take a hit on this, but it looks to me like the drug excuse is just that - an excuse. It was not the main focus of the e-mails. The gist of the e-mails involved the stuff that was signed and sold - possibility for free tats or cash - an about the rings and memorabilia sold or exchanged at the tat parlor.

The lawyer did not e-mail to Tress and say the players were being investigated as possible drug suspects. The lawyer in the e-mail said that they were doing exactly what they did in tat gate.

Tress looks much worse when you read this stuff. It is inexcusable. I think the penalty is too light, and I think the press conference comes off as misleading at worst, and disingenuous at best. Once people read the e-mails - the failure to report will look self serving for reasons keeping kids eligible. I do not know Tress' reasons, and you can take him at his word, but after reading the e-mails I do not buy it that it played out like it is being portrayed in the conference. I'm sorry to say it.

And I do not think that the NCAA will go along with the 2 games. I think it will be worse. And it should be. Fire away.

And I just saw this...more or less sums up a lot of what I feel, though I am still very loyal to JT as well.

 

[Mike80]

Unless the NCAA goes for broke, I can't imagine Ohio State would suspend Tressel for two games without some kind if inkling about where the NCAA would go in terms of any punishment for the infractions.

I don't think the NCAA will take long one way or the other to give a final determination either.

 

[Bucklion]

I think 2 games, which equals 1/6th of the season, is plenty.

The NCAA will dig into this and as public sentiment cools off and the sportswriters get caught up in the next big scandal (some coach will slap a player or get accused of being racist) they will forget about this.

Pearl was suspended for 8 games, which is about 1/4 of a basketball season. Obviously the situations aren't the same, and I'm not saying that they are, but if you use that as precedent I can see them tacking on at least a 3rd game.

 

[BearBuck27]

I just can't stop thinking about when asked if he had passed the emails along and Tressel began to nod as if saying, "Yes," before Gene Smith stepped in and stopped the question. If they were passed on, that could be even more trouble.

 

[GomerBucks]

A big bag of WTF... I hope everyone involved learns from this and moves in a positive direction.

I would not want to be a player that contributed to possibly costing a Legend his job. (not that I want JT to go, but who knows how far this rabbit hole goes.)

And I would add that I hope Tress and Smith disclose anything and everything to clear any area that would still be cause for a further strain on the program.

 

[SmoovP]

Hey guys

It's been a few weeks. Thought I'd check in after catching up on all the news.

Sad day for you guys, hate to hear it. Looks bad. Hell, it is bad. tOSU reputation takes another body blow.

Now, I may have missed a detail or two, and somebody correct me if I am wrong, but the immediate thing that jumped out at me is, why didn't this come out during the original TatGate investigation?

Wouldn't that have been the appropriate time for JT to come clean?

 

[Bucklion]

The other thing I have to say right now is how much I hate this for our basketball team, and especially the seniors. They have built and led this team to #1 and possibly an NCAA title run, and they can't even get a single month where they are the focus of the unversity. hate hate hate HATE it for Thad and the fellas.

 

[chillinvillian]

If anything I had more of an opposing perception.

What would that be?

I see it like this he had inside info on a case that was being built. If he said something it could of messed that case up and he could have lossed his source that was letting him know what his players was into.

If it came down to messing up a on going criminal case or break some NCAA rules I would take the heat from the NCAA everytime.

 

[Bucklion]

What would that be?

I see it like this he had inside info on a case that was being built. If he said something it could of messed that case up and he could have lossed his source that was letting him know what his players was into.

If it came down to messing up a on going criminal case or break some NCAA rules I would take the heat from the NCAA everytime.

My impression from reading the e-mails is that it really wasn't much about any drug trafficking case at all. But my real point from before was that he didn't sound to me like a guy falling on his sword, if anything he sounded defiant in that he didn't really think he had done anything wrong.

 

[Mike80]

Now, I may have missed a detail or two, and somebody correct me if I am wrong, but the immediate thing that jumped out at me is, why didn't this come out during the original TatGate investigation?

Wouldn't that have been the appropriate time for JT to come clean?

First - you would think this would have come up at that point. At this point it's all about what you believe or want to believe and that will absolutely vary from person to person and I won't say any of them are wrong in any way.

Now it depends upon what you want to believe: did JT in some way forget about it or not think it was pertinent or was there a more sinister reason? The way the emails read, you could honestly go either way and again it comes down you how you perceive the information.

Personally, and remember that I DO value truth and forthrightness above everything else, if Tressel truly, in his mind, heart and soul did not pursue it as diligently because he thought he would be endangering one of his student athletes I don't see how anyone could really quibble with that. I think he absolutely realizes not telling someone about the emails was the biggest mistake he could have made in the situation short of calling a press conference and immediately talking about it.

Now if that's just a cover story and he didn't pursue it because he's a bit of a control freak and wanted to do it "in-house", yeah, I could see a problem or three there.

Even worse (as some have suggested) if he did it to keep said players eligible for the year, even I, as someone who values everything the man stands for and has stood for publicly and, from all accounts, privately, that is beyond the pale and if he is the man I think he is, then he would be the first to say so.

Thankfully this does not appear to be a Barry Switzer/Oklahoma type situation where there's rampant cheating and he's neck deep in it. But for a man who has spent his entire career building the image of his character and integrity as impeccable, it's quite the mess.

In closing, it's all about how you want to perceive it. Once you have the facts of the matter (they are linked in this thread), it's up to you (and the NCAA).

 

[Gatorubet]

My impression from reading the e-mails is that it really wasn't much about any drug trafficking case at all. But my real point from before was that he didn't sound to me like a guy falling on his sword, if anything he sounded defiant in that he didn't really think he had done anything wrong.

To be blunt, that is the one thing I thought but was too hesitant to say.

 

[Systems_id]

It's been a few weeks. Thought I'd check in after catching up on all the news.

Sad day for you guys, hate to hear it. Looks bad. Hell, it is bad. tOSU reputation takes another body blow.

Now, I may have missed a detail or two, and somebody correct me if I am wrong, but the immediate thing that jumped out at me is, why didn't this come out during the original TatGate investigation?

Wouldn't that have been the appropriate time for JT to come clean?

I don't think it would of mattered. The reasoning is that tOSU should of come forward in April instead of waiting until December to come forward.

I dunno, I'm kind of shocked by the whole thing. I mean, this is the same Coach Tressel who EXTENDED Troy Smith's suspension way back when and used the dual quarterback system in the Texas (a game with NC implications) as a way to punish Troy even further. Not to mention the whole Clarrett thing. Maybe all these years of people saying, "Tressel can't win the big one" finally got to him.:(

 

[CleveBucks]

The question about "did you forward those emails to anyone" is an interesting one. Almost like the answer was "yes" and Wetzel knew as much because his source is within the AD or Office of Legal Affairs. That makes me think there's much more to this story than what has come out so far. It's not an obvious question that an uninformed outsider would think to ask at that time.

To be honest, when I saw that exchange, the first thing I thought was that JT was taking a bullet for whoever he forwarded the info to. Compliance, Legal, Smith, or whoever. If JT passed the info up the chain of command and it was ignored, it appears much more like a systemic problem (lack of institutional control). If JT says nobody else knew, he can take the bullet and spare the program.

I'm really afraid that this is not over by a longshot.

< disclaimer: I have no inside info. >

 

[SEREbuckeye]

There's no point in saying anything derogatory towards ESPN. They've done nothing wrong and after reading those emails it all just seems like complete crap. ...which honestly was how it sounded at the presser. This was a gross error in judgement that strains credibility.

Agree.

I love me some Coach Tressel but those emails were straight to the point, named names and gave accurate details of players and the memorabilia.

The hardest part is the last line of the email which reads:

"...any names from our last discussion?? I would like to hold some collateral if you know what I mean...jt"

Again, not going against Coach Tressel but it seems this rabbit hole will run deeper as time progresses and more facts come out.