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Tressel resigns...

Curran

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Here's a link to the story from the Columbus Dispatch

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/05/30/ohio-state-news.html?sid=101


Coach Jim Tressel out at Ohio State
Monday, May 30, 2011 07:55 AM
Updated: Monday, May 30, 2011 08:58 AM
By Mike Wagner, Ken Gordon and Jill Riepenhoff
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on the field at the Sugar Bowl in January
Chris Russell | Dispatch
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on the field at the Sugar Bowl in January
Photos

* View a slide show of the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State

More coverage

* See complete coverage of Tressel's recent problems in stories, documents and videos

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has resigned, university sources told The Dispatch today.

Less than three months after President E. Gordon Gee and Athletic Director Gene Smith said they fully supported their embattled coach, mounting pressure, a pending NCAA disciplinary hearing and new revelations about the culture of the program forced the university to act on their once-revered coach, sources said.

Neither Gee, Smith nor Tressel could be reached immediately for comment.

Sources said assistant coach Luke Fickell, who had been named to coach the first five games of the season while Tressel served his suspension for withholding information from the university compliance office and the NCAA, will serve as interim coach of the Buckeyes all of next season.

The Dispatch has obtained a memo Gee sent to OSU trustees this morning:

"I write to let you know that later this morning we will be announcing the resignation of Jim Tressel as head coach of the University's football program. As you all know, I appointed a special committee to analyze and provide advice to me regarding issues attendant to our football program. In consultation with the senior leadership of the University and the senior leadership of the Board, I have been actively reviewing the matter and have accepted Coach Tressel's resignation.

"My public statement will include our common understanding that throughout all we do, we are One University with one set of standards and one overarching mission. The University's enduring public purposes and its tradition of excellence continue to guide our actions," Gee wrote.

Ohio State's football program came under fire in December when six players were suspended by the NCAA for selling or trading uniforms and other memorabilia to a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner. The NCAA also drew criticism for allowing the players to participate in the Sugar Bowl instead of serving their suspensions immediately.

Tattoo-parlor owner Edward Rife was under investigation for drug trafficking when his unrelated trading for OSU memorabilia came to light. It was revealed in federal court on Friday that Edward Rife, owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos on Sullivant Avenue on the Hilltop, agreed in December to plead guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering. As part of the agreement, Rife must forfeit all of his OSU memorabilia if he does not come up with $50,000, the amount federal investigators say he made in profit selling marijuana.

Tressel expressed surprise in December at the revelations of his players being involved with the tattoo-parlor operator, but the university learned in January that Tressel was told of the relationship last April in an email from a former OSU player. The coach did not share that information with the university as his contract requires, nor did he reveal it when he signed an NCAA compliance form in September verifying that he was unaware of any possible violations.

He was suspended two games and fined $250,000 for his actions. He requested that his suspension be increased to five games to match the penalty his players received. The university obliged.

Tressel's contract was renewed last spring through 2014. He earns about $3.7 million annually in salary and other incentives. He leaves Ohio State with an impressive coaching resume, having led the school to its fifth national title as well as directing impressive runs of Big Ten championships and victories over archrival Michigan.

The coach who came to Ohio State from Division I-AA Youngtown State University leaves OSU as one of the most recognizable figures in college football and all sports with a record of 106-22 at OSU. His winning percentage of .828 was better than the legendary Woody Hayes (.761).
 

Curran

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Just some more reading from Bucknuts....

http://ohiostate.247sports.com/Article/Tressel-Resigns-27097

I've gotta agree with one of the comments in there. I hope Luke Fickell benches the tatoo 5 for the season. While it is ultimately Tressel's own fault for putting his head on the chopping block for these players, it was their lack of character for putting him in that position. Hopefully a lesson is learned from all of this, and the program stays away from recruits with character issues & a general lack of integrity despite whatever athletic abilities they have.
 
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Fluteman

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I hate to see him go, even though I am a Michigan fan. He is one hell of a coach. I do wonder however if OSU was thinking if they got rid of him the NCAA might take it easy on them and not add on to the self imposed penalties.
 

"J"

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Oh well I always liked Tressel even while he was at Youngstown..... Goes to show even the good ones go bad..... I hear rumors or Urban Meyer or John Grueden coming too the horse shoe.... We'll just have to wait and see.... You can take the boys out of the hood just can't take the hood out of the boys..... Maybe they should hire a big brother to whip them guys into academic/moral shape..... :smiley_depressive:
 

tuffshot

The Crew
I think there are some unseen factors in all of this.
Tressel is the fall guy, you can't tell me he was the only one who knew of the problem.
Tressel will probably have his contract pay fullfilled.
This should be a lesson in coddeling these bunch of brat football players that they keep refferring to as boys. They are men and should be treated as such and there should be stiffer consequences.

The thing is a lot of them are no better after going to the pros. The same punks make the headlines all year long. The ones you don't read about just haven't been caught.
 

finelyshedded

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I knew this day was coming but glad it's here and time to get it behind us. I think being called "cheaters" is a stretch but understand the hate from those in this state who follow other programs.LOL NO program/university at any level would want the NCAA or the media outlets probing and investigating any improprieties discovered no matter how small they seem TOO be. This is a prime example of the coverup being bigger than the crime. Tressel fugged up but IMO still a good guy. Thanks JT for a great 10 year stretch!
 

Jackalope

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I have no room to talk.. I'm an SEC fan.. Everyone knows we never violate NCAA rules.. lmao
 

hickslawns

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I hate to see him go. He is one heckuva coach, but rules are rules. He just got caught. We know most all these coaches are guilty in one way or another. Sad to see this is what has become of the game.
 

JD Boyd

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I know in his current contract he was gonna be in line to be the next AD at OS.... I don't think that will be happening now... To bad though Tressel is a good guy. That's what happens when you have a bunch of thugs around.
 

Tree Monkey

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With the SI.com article can you say lack of institutional control?!......this is not good......I foresee,atleast two yr bowl ban, probation, scholarship reduction and no big ten championship for a couple years.....it's gonna be bad.....hang on to your nuts buckeye nation
 

DJK Frank 16

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With the SI.com article can you say lack of institutional control?!......this is not good......I foresee,atleast two yr bowl ban, probation, scholarship reduction and no big ten championship for a couple years.....it's gonna be bad.....hang on to your nuts buckeye nation

I agree, I don't think we have even seen a hint of what is to come yet!
 

tuffshot

The Crew
The new coach has been handed a whole new group of inexperianced players, nothing but 2nd stringers. This year will be like starting all over with the program.
College has always been the pro's farm teams that they draw from. We have seen the guys who get arrested after going to the pros and I don't think it is anything the college level can control when contracts are waved in the players faces. It is a money driven program and no program is without faults.

With all of the preprogramming of kids from grade school on up each community may have less than 1% chance of sending a kid to the pros. And yet they keep promoting it like anyone has a chance of making it. Kids get hurt every year trying to achieve this goal some mentally and some physically that they carry the injury for the rest of their life.

Buckeye nation? or any other group of college football group are promotors of a win (look the other way) at any cost and don't feel the pain until someone is busted. Just get another coach?