Dave Brandon takes no 'glee' in NCAA investigation of Ohio State and Jim Tressel
MIDLAND -- The fact that rival Ohio State was recently served a “notice of allegations” from the NCAA and faces major violations in its football program isn’t worth discussing, Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said.
Facing NCAA allegations at Michigan even before he officially took on the role of athletic director influences how he acts now, Brandon said.
“You don’t need anybody, particularly a colleague, poking at you,” Brandon said Tuesday at a Michigan Associated Press Sports Editors meeting. “There were some people out there who did it, and I remember who they are, and I remember what they said.”
“Those people who took great glee in the fact that we got ourselves in that kind of situation -- I’ll never do that,” he said. “The folks at Ohio State have their hands full, obviously.”
The investigation at Ohio State stems from players trading awards and equipment for cash and tattoos.
The NCAA accuses Ohio State coach Jim Tressel of ethical misconduct for giving the NCAA false information and accuses Ohio State of fielding ineligible players last season because the player misconduct should have called for immediate suspensions.
The NCAA wrapped up a 14-month investigation in November of Michigan’s football program for practice violations and other infractions.
Comments
OldBittyBates
Fri, May 13, 2011 : 1:19 p.m.
Jim Tressel and his precious Buckeyes aren't unlucky because it's Friday the 13th. They are in trouble for going the path of the unrighteous. They knew the rules but refused to follow them. Michigan and other Big Ten schools are staying mute so as to somewhat protect the integrity of the conference. I seriously doubt they are keeping quiet to help Jimbo T and his Columbine boys from receiving proper justice for their two faced ways. However, it appears that recruiting in sports will get better for schools outside the borders of Columbus, Ohio because athletes don't want to be associated with anything perceived as dishonest. Personally, I dislike Tressell 10 times more than I ever felt about Woody Hayes (God rest his soul), because Coach Jimbo T has such a manipulative personality. He tries to come off as Ward Cleaver with his sweater/vest and pipe, or even like the Catholic Pope, but he doesn't really mean what he says. Woody Hayes was genuine in all he did, and he didn't care what you thought about him for it. And I'm confident Woodrow followed the rules to the letter. Let's hope the NCAA lowers the boom on those car driving, tattoo wearing, secret keeping people.
1st Down
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 12:23 a.m.
Jim Tressel has historically been the dirtiest, cheating head coach in college football. He has always hid behind the 'I didnt know' flimsy lie for each of the 300+ documented transgressions that Ohio has committed in his tenure. Now that the NCAA has outed Tressel as a proven liar, he has no legs to stand on. Kudos to Brandon for taking the high road...but it is not that hard to do because the rest of us know the truth.... Jim Tressel is DIRTY and Win at any cost. His entire era is soiled and rightfully so.
Dan Miller
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:23 p.m.
re: Michigan's violations from an ESPN article. Brandon bristled at the suggestion Michigan had cheated. "Bad word, inaccurate word," he said. "We made mistakes and where I come from, a mistake is different than cheating." I guess Tressel just made a 'mistake' too.
Bogie
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
Brandon's a class act. Hoke looks to be a great coach. U of M fans should be concerned about their own program ( the rebuilding of a great college football and basketball program), and not be "jerry springering" Ohio State. Good for Dave!
ChelseaBob
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 7:18 p.m.
Hoke, Beilein and Berenson. Class, Class and Class. Looking forward to the 2011-2012 athletic year.
John of Saline
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 7:07 p.m.
I'm glad to hear it. A song and dance number would be really inappropriate for this situation.
63Townie
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.
That's ok Dave, the fans do.
Mick
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 3:03 p.m.
Hey treetown, when you say hands tied behind his back, do you mean playing by the rules like everyone should? Just asking. I really hope you're right though, as I stated earlier, I want to see Hoke beat him down and good!
treetowncartel
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 6:08 p.m.
By the rules, under the microscope, and with perhaps some lost scholarships. In essence, under circumstances he is not accustomed to. I'm guessing the NCAA takes at least 5 scholarships for 2 years, maybe more. I picked 5 because it is an eye for an eye kind of number. Just a guess though. Love to be at that hearing on August 14.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
Tressel isn't going anywhere, they are going to give him an opportunity to try and win the Big Ten with his hands tied behind his back.
Mick
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:41 p.m.
Alright Lorain, thanks for the wise comments yourself! I will say this, TSIO is gonna get the hammer dropped on them, no slap on the hand, it's gonna get ugly for them. I just wonder how many of those games they beat us in would have turned out differently had they not been up to all these shenanigans all these years, we'll never know, shall we?
Lorain Steelmen
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.
Brandon is doing the 'wise thing', both from a PR standpoint, and as a classy operation. There was a reason, that osu made a signifcant upturn from 2001, on when Tressel came in. The allegations currently being discussed, are part of a larger cultural issue, in Cbus. What we don't know yet, is how deeply the NCAA will dig, or will they just slap osu on the hand, and let them go back, to business as usual.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:53 p.m.
No pat on the back for DB from this skeptic. All he is doing is standard operating procedure....don't feed BB stuff to one of your rivals.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:49 p.m.
I hope your right Matt. I'm just not sure about either DB or Hoke. Time will tell on both .
Matt Cooper
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:20 p.m.
I gotta give him a pat on the back. He's handled everything that's come his way since he hired on here in such a classy, professional way. I think he's the right man for the job and I hope he's here for a very, very long time. I finally feel, after many years of questioning, that M is now in good hands with DB and Hoke. LETS GO BLUE!
treetowncartel
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 12:58 p.m.
Go back and watch the presser from this past winter regarding the alleged infractions now . They don't need anybody poking at them, they are doing a good enough job on their own.
RJ12688
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 11:41 a.m.
Im a little disappointed that this may be the reason UM catches OSU.. I think over time Hoke would have closed the gap anyways, which would have been fantastic to watch unfold. But OSU is getting whats coming to them, and rightfully so.
RJ12688
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 4:17 a.m.
Dont get me wrong Edward R Murrow's Ghost. I never said this was bad for Michigan. And i understand the fact that OSU's success has been influenced by their cheating ways. It would have been a satisfying feeling watching UM pass them without any help from the NCAA violations. But watching OSU get smoked by the NCAA will also be enjoyable, and watching UM become a power again by doing things the right way even more so. p.s. You shouldn't quote the word bad if i never actually said it. Good night and good luck to you too sir.
Edward R Murrow's Ghost
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 1:18 a.m.
"The question is whether those players should have been on the field this past November." And that's my point. And it's not just those players. OSU has been conducting itself under Tressel as if it were in the SEC, not in the Big Ten. This time he got caught. Good Night and Good Luck
treetowncartel
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 7:24 p.m.
Just think, we could have had Terrell Pryor come here and test our compliance program. i agree with Craig, the players beat us on the field. The question is whether those players should have been on the field this past November.
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 3:09 p.m.
Mick what he said was "OSU's success over the past decade, beginning with Maurice Clarett, has been based on cheating." All I'm saying is that is a stretch. But I'm not going to defend tressel or OSU.... I hope they get whacked hard by the NCAA.
Mick
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:52 p.m.
Yes, but Craig, would they have gotten some of these players had they not been enticed by the culture that Tressell was creating and provided, apparently? All Murrow is saying is that, that's all. For example last year, there's no way they go 12-1 had he suspended those 5 players as he should have, how can you refute that?
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:34 p.m.
"OSU's success over the past decade, beginning with Maurice Clarett, has been based on cheating' Flawed thinking. Their success has been based on good coaching and recruiting of good football players. The current scandal, players trading gear for tats, getting cars on the cheap, and the coach lying about his knowledge of the situation didn't make them better on the field. It would be fair to say their success included cheating but its stretch to suggest the on field success was all a direct result of cheating.
Edward R Murrow's Ghost
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.
"Im a little disappointed that this may be the reason UM catches OSU" Let me see if I understand your logic. OSU's success over the past decade, beginning with Maurice Clarett, has been based on cheating. Having been caught, OSU will have to start playing by the rules and will likely come back to the pack. How is this "bad" for Michigan? Good Night and Good Luck
DonAZ
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 10:27 a.m.
We are in good hands ... Brandon, Hoke, Mattison, Borges, etc. Grownups all.
Tru2Blu76
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 3:43 a.m.
Now if only Director Brandon can get the fans to stop trash-talking on the college sports boards. We've already seen the quick response from Coach Hoke when a player veers out of control. I don't think he's the type to get rattled when a player or players mess up. Lets also remember that the one U of M staffer who lied to NCAA investigators was promptly fired. That sends the right message to both players and Athletic Department staff: don't ever violate the rules or lie to NCAA or any other part of the Big Ten or Michigan organizations. I would love to know the back story behind: "You don't need anybody, particularly a colleague, poking at you," Brandon said ... "There were some people out there who did it, and I remember who they are, and I remember what they said." I would not want to be those people right now.
Mick
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:54 a.m.
Pretty classy of DB to avoid poking fun. Particularly when we were accused of a comical violation in comparison to what many other teams are accused of, especially TSIO. I knew JT was up to no good all these years, I'm glad he's finally getting egg on his face! If this was U-M getting accused of these serious violations, I would want the coach canned and pronto! I wouldn't care how good his record is or how well he did against our bitter rivals. In the end though, I wish Hoke could get his chance to beat down JT on the field, not with NCAA sanctions, oh well, he brought it upon himself.
Dan Miller
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:19 p.m.
You know JT was up to no good for many years because of one thing he did? What he did was definitely wrong and stupid, but unless other things are uncovered, I think it's unfair to say he's obviously been doing it for years. Especially considering the violation was self-reported by the university.