RSSHow Will the NCAA Punish Ohio State?
April 26, 2011
Johnny Goodman - See all 177 of my articles
Big problems continue for the beloved Ohio State Program. Not that it is any big shocker, but the NCAA the fastest yacht in the boat race, finally made a public statement yesterday that they are looking into “alleged” infractions. The violations in the Ohio State case happened a basically 12 months ago. The news splash came out in late December right before the bowl game, and then further escalated about 2 months ago with Tressel’s admission he knew about the problems with the five players trading equipment and awards for tattoos. Heck he even had the email train to show for it.
Now the Buckeyes have until July 5 to answer questions for the NCAA. A hearing before the infractions committee is scheduled Aug. 12 in Indianapolis.(coincidentally one day before Johnny Goodman’s Birthday) After that, god only knows how long this will drag on. Heck it took the NCAA 5 years to nail USC for Reggie Bush and other violations of basketball players taking place during the same time span.
The lingering question is will the NCAA think that the penalties imposed by the school are strong enough, or will they wield a heavier hammer? Hard to tell. The scuttlebutt in the coaching fraternity is that “The Vest” is in deep doo doo. Heck even Nebraska increased head coach Bo Pelini’s salary just yesterday making him the third highest paid football coach in the Big Ten. Why? They lost way more games than they should have last year and folded like a cheap card table in their bowl game re-match with lowly Washington. Maybe Athletic Director Tom Osborne wanted to make a possible move to Pelini’s alma mater, Ohio State, look less appealing from a financial perspective.
Lucky #7
The NFL Lockout drama saga continues this week we are quickly approaching the 2011 Draft. AP writer Jaime Aron had an excellent article on April 23rd that listed the top players taken at each position in the draft since the modern day draft has taken place. As you can imagine this could be a hotly debated topic. I mean which #1 overall is the best? Bradshaw? Manning? Aikman, Campbell? You could make your argument for any of these guys at #1. But what I found interesting was that the #7 pick in the first round has been a veritable point of weakness overall.
Tops on Aron’s listing was Adrian Peterson in the #7 spot, who many felt “slid” to the Vikings as he was coming off an injury plagued college career at Oklahoma. Phil Simms, Sterling Sharpe, Bryant Young and Champ Bailey are others of mention at the number 7 spot but no one really stands out like is the case at the other positions in the top 10 overall in any given year
Maybe this means the #7 spot is due to have a great player taken. Of course anyone in the Top 10 each year is considered great or they would not be considered to be drafted that high. The consensus at #7 this year is Patrick Peterson, the dynamic secondary player from LSU. Only time will tell if a Peterson will dominate from the #7 spot overall in the draft.
Until Next time…stay classy Mel Kiper Jr.
Apr 26, 2011 @ 19:27:57
Perhaps a sternly worded letter would be sufficient? 🙂
I think the NCAA needs to take serious action in this case. This isn’t a case of a kid making a dumb mistake or a coach who was blissfully unaware of violations – this was a coach brushing violations under the rug. He wasn’t sure who to tell? Perhaps the university’s Compliance Director (who tends to be an expert when it comes to potential violations) or the Athletic Director. To do nothing brings disgrace upon the university.
And this coach is supposed to be a leader of men, setting a good example.
And for those of you demonizing the guy who turned in the players – what the hell are you thinking? This guy saw kids going down a troubling path and wanted someone to keep them on the straight and narrow – he had their best interest at heart. This is the sort of leader these kids need – someone who cares about them as human beings rather than simple cogs in a football machine.
Apr 27, 2011 @ 14:56:14
From an outsider’s perspective, I had always viewed Tressel as one of the good guys, so this whole thing is a bit surprising. Now I wonder if this will just be the tip of the iceberg, and we’ll find that his successes will be tainted by allegations of wrongdoing. It just goes to show how the need to win can corrupt.