The "Senator" from Ohio

Issue: Jim Tressel?

Short Answer: Unfortunately, yes.

Reasoning: Allow me first to say, that above all things, Jim Tressel was wrong.  He lied and he got what he deserved.  Nothing I am about to say is meant to exonerate the ex-head coach of The Ohio State University.  It is a rough time to be a fan of the University, thanks, for the most part, to Jim Tressel.  But, I have a slightly different outlook than most, on the transgressions that he committed.  I can't believe this whole scenario is because of tattoos.  Freakin' tattoos, that a bunch of 18-21 year old kids decided not to pay for.  Just like a punch to the face of a Clemson player brought down the best coach in Ohio State history, tattoos brought down the second greatest coach in Ohio State history.  It almost seems part of Ohio State lore - coaches being brought down under the strangest of circumstances.  It's downright crazy.

But, I am not as quick to jump on Jim Tressel as being a hypocrite, as most journalists have been.  That may seem strange for me to say, as lying straight to the face of the NCAA doesn't seem to fit with a person who wrote books entitled The Winner’s Manual: For The Game of Life, and; Life Promises For Success: Promises From God on Achieving Your Best.  But, since when does writing books about how to live a quality life mean the author is free from all sin?  I'm not sure it does.  If the title of one of his books was I Am Perfect and I Have Never Made a Mistake In My Life, Here's How You Can Be This Awesome Too, then I would be the first to jump on board in calling Jim Tressel the biggest hypocrite on the planet.  Many people have already jumped on board, saying it is the hypocrisy, not the crime, that bothers them the most.  It seems like a good argument, but it has holes.  See, "[h]ypocrisy consists not in failing to practice what we preach, but in not believing what we preach."  Jim Tressel absolutely failed to practice what he preaches.  No one would ever doubt that.  My question is this: how can anyone out there say that Jim Tressel doesn't believe what he preaches?  Call me crazy, but Jim Tressel is really the only person who knows if he is a hypocrite or not.  For what it's worth, I don't think he is.  I think Jim Tressel absolutely believes everything he has ever preached to his student-athletes.  It is human nature to want to protect everything you have when you are on top of the world (Rep. Anthony Weiner, anyone?), which is where Jim Tressel used to be.  When faced with allegations of players breaking the rules, Jim Tressel made a huge mistake, and he got caught.  He was fired and ridiculed in the media, and will be for a long time coming.  He got what he had coming.  But everyone makes mistakes, and that is all Jim Tressel is guilty of - making a huge mistake.

I read the Sports Illustrated investigation into allegations of Jim Tressel cheating all the way back to his days as an Ohio State assistant coach in the early-1980's and as the head coach at Youngstown State.  It is a good article and one that makes it look as if Jim Tressel has been a damn cheater his whole life.  Yet, not one place in the article is there any physical link to the impropriety that was going on to Jim Tressel himself.  People are quoted and relationships examined, but not one time is there a direct link between cheating and Tressel.  Sure, it all looks suspicious, but suspicious isn't enough to convict.  Unless, it all comes out after someone has already been convicted of lying, like Tressel.  See, Tressel admitted he lied, so what better time to publish a bunch of hearsay than right after that?  It makes it all sound so much more believable, whether it is or not.  And, I have no idea if it is all true or not.  I'm pretty sure no one else knows if it true or not either.  But, publishing conjecture at a time when people want to believe that Jim Tressel is a liar (he is) and a cheat (he may or may not be) is a very sly tactic indeed.

At this point, most people are probably wondering how I can say that Jim Tressel isn't a cheater.  Is it really possible that players were taking money, selling memorabilia, and driving around in cars they can't afford, and he not know any of it was going on?  My answer is simply, yes.  Do you think Tyrelle Pryor was given a couple thousand dollars in cash and then went straight to Tressel and said, "hey coach, just thought you'd like to know..."?  The very last person on earth that the cheating players would want to know what they were doing, is Jim Tressel.  The players knew what they were doing was an NCAA infraction, and they wouldn't want their coach to find out, that's for sure.  Yes, it is a far stretch to think Tressel had absolutely no idea what was going on, but to think that he masterminded or allowed everything to go on the way it did, is just as far of a stretch.  I remember when I got into a little trouble in college, the one person that I didn't want to find out, the one person I would do anything I could to keep it from, was my head coach.  Had I been successful in keeping the secret, would my head coach have been to blame for my transgression?  I think not.  A lot of people have said there is no way Tressel couldn't have known what was going on.  Really?  Why is that?  Just because it sounds good to say?  Because taking the side of Tressel at this point would be crazy?  No one really knows if he knew anything before December 2010 or not.  Maybe everything that came to light completely took Tressel by surprise.  Maybe it didn't.  But, I'm not sure how anyone outside the Ohio State athletic department can claim to know either way.  Because they don't.

This is what I know: Jim Tressel had one of the biggest falls from grace in the history of college football, all because of tattoos.  Maybe we should take a look at the social acceptance of 18-22 year old kids having as many tattoos as they do.  Watch a college basketball or football game and count the number of tattoos you see.  You won't be able to, because there isn't enough time in the games.  How do these kids afford these tattoos?  They are not cheap to get.  Why do these kids get so many tattoos anyway?  I'm not really sure, and I'm sure Jim Tressel is wondering the same thing.  Had the Ohio State players traded memorabilia with a tattoo parlor owner who wasn't under investigation by the FBI, it would still be going on right now, and no one would be worse for the wear.  That means NCAA violations would still be going on, but really, how bad is getting a couple of free tattoos?  These players should be getting paid anyway.  That's why I don't care when I hear about players receiving money.  I played college sports, and I could have used a little dough in my pockets (even though baseball is a sport that doesn't make money for a university).  Football teams support entire universities.  It's crazy to think the players don't see a dime of it.  But, that is an entirely different story.  You know when Tressel was informed of the violations, he did what he thought was in the best interest of his players - tell them to stop, and not tell the NCAA about it.  It was the wrong decision, but not one that makes him a hypocrite.  But, that decision ultimately cost Tressel his job and maybe any future job.  When you lie, you have to be prepared for the consequences.  But, I can't help but think Tressel, at some point in time, figured his players trading memorabilia for tattoos wouldn't be his ultimate undoing.  He felt like he could sweep it under the rug, and, he was wrong.  Freakin' tattoos.