Posted on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 11:18 a.m.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's image is far from reality, columnist says
By AnnArbor.com Staff
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has long been concerned with meticulously grooming his image, but many people have long been concerned about the behind-the-scenes actions in Columbus.
That group includes David Jones of the Harrisburg Patriot-News, who writes that Tressel has an audacious lack of integrity. And that's not the worst.
"He was a calculator, a manipulator and willing to do or say whatever necessary to best defuse any issue," Jones wrote about Tressel.
Here's the link to his complete story in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Comments
truebluefan
Sat, Mar 12, 2011 : 2:58 a.m.
I've always said that Tressel was a rat with a gentleman facade. He knows how to slap lipstick on a pig. The self-reporting of over 300 secondary violations since 2000 obviously helped to steer the NCAA away...until now. I believe there are some posters on this board that attacked me last year when I made those statements.
FRED
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 10:34 p.m.
Coaches are hired to win. Period. Five years from now, no one will care who he used or how he won the BCS game. Until Ohio State AND Big Ten decide to return the winning from the BCS game, this is a non-issue.
trigg7
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 1:45 p.m.
A lot of big talk. bla, bla, bla.. Congrats at being the poster child for honesty! If You aren't the pot, calling the...
truebluefan
Sat, Mar 12, 2011 : 3 a.m.
Until now OSU fans have held a (false) ethical superiority over UM. They can still hang the barrel of the winning streak over our heads. But I believe that will be coming to an end soon as well.
Lorain Steelmen
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 3:03 a.m.
Coach Hoke will say all the 'politically correct' things, about the 'Tress Mess', as will Brandon and former coach, RR, but behind closed doors Coach Hoke, MUST concentrate on rebuilding this defense, and instilling a tough minded team attitude. All the coaches will have their hands full, but will love every minute of it! It's back to the good old days in AA. Let's be honest here, UM will be VERY young again this year, and the season is a tremendous challenge! They'll have to stay healthy, and catch a few breaks along the way, but I DO believe, they can compete with EVERY team on their schedule. (Yes, both Nebraska & osu). So for the UM fans & 'family', this should be a fun year....young teams always are! Forget about osu right now.....it's all about what Michigan can do, and the work and effort, that must be done. Good luck & Go Blue! Let's get to work on no., 43! ........Now!
azwolverine
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 1:54 a.m.
Who cares about Tressel. Hoke will end up owning OSU regardless...this incident will only speed the process. Go Blue!
PortageLkBlu
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 4:10 p.m.
Okie dokie, don't hold your breath for the next 3 yrs.
johnnya2
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 12:50 a.m.
Here is all you need to know about Jim Tressel and TOSU <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/31/FERPA_OSU.ART_ART_05-31-09_A14_D4E14K6.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/31/FERPA_OSU.ART_ART_05-31-09_A14_D4E14K6.html</a>
XTR
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 10:44 p.m.
Finally! OSU's coach got busted for all the cover ups! That explains why his players from Clarett to Smith and now to Pryor keeps on violating NCAA rules and their coach is still perceived as clean? hahaha That's why, Coach Tress is covering up all of those violations and then pretending that he does not know a thing! lol! What is nice about this is that, the year MSU and Izzo falls in basketball, would be the same year Tressel and OSU falls in football! lol!
Lorain Steelmen
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 8:49 p.m.
Coming to school at UM(in 1965, in Engineering) from Lorain, Ohio (after being accepted at osu) gives me a fair amount of perspective on all this. Tressel was always 'suspect', when he was at YSU, and his MO never changed in C-bus. The osu folks KNEW what they were getting when they hired him, and Tress knew, in turn what HE was getting when he recuited kids like Clarett, Smith, Pryor, et al. A few years ago he was acused of having a 'dirty 30', (it's now up to the 'felonious 40'). The most recent episode, the 'tatoo crew' is merely another chaper. Tress thought he could sweep this under the rug, or just laugh it off. If the NCAA cares to, they will discover that the tatoo parlor, is not the only business establishment in C'bus, that has had questionable dealings with osu football players. (Wasn't there a kid that got picked up numerous times for DWI, in DEALER cars? hmmm, so how does THAT happen?) So let's face it, the football program at osu, IS osu, and they will do whatever it takes, to win. Including turning a blind eye to all this stuff! Had this been Cooper, you can bet he would have been axed immediately. Going back to 1978, Woody got axed, NOT because he hit Charluie Bauman from Clemson, but because Woody's Bucks had failed to score a touchdown against UM in three years! (1976, 1977, and 1978.)
PortageLkBlu
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 9:55 p.m.
Tress. is a product of the alum, the university board, the fans, TV etc. The guy can't operate if all of the above don't give him a green lite. You simply can't get away with it if, they want a clean program and that's a big IF. Look, it takes a kid 3-4 yrs. to become an instant multi-millionaire and these coaches give that hope to each and every kid. This country likes winners that means first place and if you are a winner in this country you get a, "Get out of jail free card". As an individual competing in track and wrestling in high school I loved t he euphoria of winning and it truly can cloud the thinking with almost an addictive desire to win even to losing a lot of weight to wrestle in a lighter class. Now you throw in all the extra goodies that these kids are confronted with an walla, you have problems big time. The coaches and kids simply cannot control the urge to cheat to win so, it's up to the school and the NCAA to solve this problem and correct it. I'm sure Jim Tressel and Rich Rodriguez are only the tip of the ice- berg what say you? I'm sure some would say, not my school, not my coach but I say, it's happening enough that all schools have to be treated for this affliction equally. If you want to cure cancer you've got to get it all.
Blu-dogg97
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 9:02 p.m.
some great history there,thanks for sharing..
Blu-dogg97
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 8:35 p.m.
an interesting article @Cleveland live.com Jim Tressel: Former UM coach Rich Rod speaks up for Ohio State's coach btw if your a member at Mlive you can post there also... GO BLUE..
tater
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 7:30 p.m.
Great quote here: "That's why for the better part of a decade I've been writing and saying to every talk show host who broaches the subject that I think Jim Tressel is nothing but a slick, little con man." Apparently, Jones holds Tressel in the same esteem in which I hold Tom Izzo. The only thing better would be if Jones was from Columbus. He could be TSIO's Rosenpuke, except the NCAA would really find something worthwhile. If things fall correctly, this could blossom into a case of USC proportions by the beginning of the football season. I wonder if "zero tolerance" Gordon Gee has the courage and integrity to kick all five players out of school? I'm sure it won't happen. Despite his 2007 "zero tolerance" speech, Gee is as big a hypocrite as Tressel. Or else he doesn't want to "sleep with the fishes" courtesy of the Olentangy Mafia. Either way, TSIO will do everything they can to stonewall the NCAA until next football season is already over.
MeangoblueU
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 7:02 p.m.
Regarding Mr. Tressel....................... The preacher man says it's the end of time And the Columbus River she's a goin' dry The interest is up and the Stock Markets down Jimmy will be fired and run out of town Id love to spit some beechnut in that dudes eyes ----Meango Hank Jr. Blue 2011----------
PortageLkBlu
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 6:45 p.m.
Why do you guys want to Fire anyone or anything that walks or crawls. Slap the guy around a bit and knock him off his high horse then ask him if he still wants his job. We, We, We turn these guys into Kings especially the coaches that put a winning product on the field. Time to pull back on the reins on every team at every college. Oh and by the way just because Brady Hoke talks a good talk doesn't mean he won't or can't screw up at some point. The more leeway and money we give these coaches the more apt they are to win at all cost after all, coaches are human.
PortageLkBlu
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 4:15 p.m.
John, take a deep breath, it's only football a sport of mistakes heavily influenced by gambling, it's not Sunday school, this is not a capitol offense, the sun will rise tomorrow, relax. Coaches will come and go, sometimes violations will be caught and corrected, sometimes violations won't. Jim Tressel doesn't effect my life one bit, don't let him affect your life.
johnnya2
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 12:41 a.m.
If Brady Hoke screws up like that and has over THREE HUNDRED SELF REPORTED VIOLATIONS., I will lead the chorus in calling for his firing. I wanted RR gone no matter how many games he won. I think Tressel deserves to be fired WITH CAUSE. OSU wont because they are not an educational institution, They are a sports school that pretends to have students.
jcj
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 6:36 p.m.
I think there are numerous of us that would like to know why the double standard. "Ohio State coach Jim Tressel: A fraud, manipulator and image whore" Most of the posters here have had a post pulled at one time or another for FAR let me repeat Far less in the way of a character assassination. I don't disagree with the headline but that is not the point. I might argue that the moderators for A2.com display the same "holier than thou" attitude as Tressel. But this headline would indicate that you are frauds also!
jcj
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 3:09 a.m.
My point was that Tressel has been accused of trying to promote himself as squeaky clean while doing what ever it take to get wins. And I believe A2.com has a policy towards posters but then puts whatever headline they can to get the attention irrespective of their policy for posters.
seldon
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 1:48 a.m.
I think what you actually mean to say is that the moderators are image whores. :)
Rich Rezler
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 8:45 p.m.
@jcj: See two comments above.
Tru2Blu76
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 6:22 p.m.
I'll go with the more moderate but still stern assessment from Sports Illustrated on this matter. SI simply summarized Tressel's violations and OSU's self-punishment measures. They made it clear that the NCAA will be the final arbiter on what, if any, further sanctions will be applied. As for reporter Jones, I think he's gone over the top. It is not "convincing" and certainly doesn't look dignified or impartial for a sports reporter who covers a rival team to write vehement attacks against Coach Tressel. It's enough for all of us to know that Jim Tressel now has a record going back years - a record of minimizing and covering up known violations of NCAA rules. This is extremely serious in terms of college football ethics. Because "more will be revealed" is the rule in such cases, there's the possibility that the NCAA may even take away some of OSU's victories as punishment. Who knows, really? One thing for sure: OSU and its fans face a lot of criticism and skepticism - for the second time (remember, Woody Hayes was fired and OSU disgraced in 1978). It's unfortunate for OSU - because it puts Michigan in a far better light both in the minds of the public and in the minds of future recruits. I was wondering how Michigan would ever recover from the "Rodriguez years" - then came Brady Hoke and now comes this revelation about Michigan's chief rival. There's the answer.
Rich Rezler
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.
@seldon and northside: Fair points. The original headline paraphrased terminology used in David Jones' column, the story we cited and linked to in this post, who ends his opinion piece this way: "Here's my remedy: Choose your heroes from your personal life. And leave the prefabricated public image whores to us. Usually, we know who they are. Only too well." That was the impetus for the headline. In retrospect, we've toned it down.
seldon
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
I don't understand why the editorial staff can say things like this, while comments far milder than the headline would be immediately censored. Seriously, what's the deal?
northside
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 6:06 p.m.
If a commenter referred to someone as an "image whore" I'm guessing the post would be removed for violating the site rules: "We allow respectful, constructive comments. No attacks, please." So why is it acceptable for site staff to use the phrase as a headline?
Townie
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:59 p.m.
Tressel had ethics and NCAA issues at Youngstown State before he came to OSU and OSU chose to ignore those warning signs and hire him anyway. This is just the way he operates -- winning is everything and apparently that's the way OSU sees it as well. If he'd been losing he'd be gone in a heartbeat with the NCAA violations as the reason. College football is a cesspool, let's admit it. The 'student athletes' are athletes first and students a distant, distant second if at all.
Cash
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.
Oh-LIE-O Gate continues and will not end until the NCAA goes in and cleans house....not just Tressel but Gene Smith too. Wow did Gene ever go down hill after he left EMU.
226chosen
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:35 p.m.
if it weren't so hypocritical, it would be hilarious to take any comments about the vest coming from ann arbor...let's review...fab five, robert traylor, louis bullock, ed martin, et al, $600,000 plus spent on players...largest scandal in ncaa history... a heisman trophy winner who hung with an agent while in college... other players take benefits from an agent and the university suspends them one game, the ncaa steps in and says we'll raise ya two... a disaster of a football program, with the stench of probation lingering in the lockerroom... where's the credibility?
XTR
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 10:37 p.m.
226chosen - fab five, traylor, bullock blah blah blah, they are all 20 year olds. Jim Tressel is a 58 year old millionaire who lied to protect his cheating players! lol!
Dusty
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 8:28 p.m.
There's a big difference between a booster paying players behind the university's back and the situation ending in the firing a great coach who didn't know about it and THE HEAD COACH HIMSELF covering up a scandal and then lying about it and the university standing behind him.
81wolverine
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 7:42 p.m.
Spoken like a true OSU troll. Off topic and pointless. Tressel is dirty and always has been. The evidence is there, and the worst part is that the OSU administration has refused to deal with it. Now, the whole university is losing its credibility the longer ths situation is tolerated. It's going to be fun to watch as more dirt is uncovered in Columbus. Everyone just grab some popcorn and enjoy!
David Vande Bunte
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:42 p.m.
And in the case of each scandal, Michigan took their lumps. Seasons were forfeited, money was returned, banners were lowered, scholarships were taken away, and programs were put on probation by the NCAA. Michigan justly paid for its scandals, while Ohio State offers the absolute minimum in accountability. Steve Fisher lost his job for claiming he didn't know, while Tressel is keeping his job, even though he did know. Lets talk about credibility, shall we?
tim
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:33 p.m.
Sounds more like sour grapes because OSU keeps beating Jo Pa.
Blu-dogg97
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 7:40 p.m.
the writer is osu alum...
spm
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:27 p.m.
AA.com - I love these headlines. I also love this quote from the article: "It's even possible that Jim Tressel drinks out of the toilet. But it's not possible that he didn't know who to tell. That's preposterous." ohhowihateohiostate
lugemachine
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:14 p.m.
Based upon everything I'm reading from myriad sources, I believe that there can be only one reasonable conclusion to this story. I say this as a fan of college athletics and not as a Michigan fan. Jim Tressel must be fired.
Yeah buddy
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:13 p.m.
I nominate this for best article ever posted on AA.com
MjC
Thu, Mar 10, 2011 : 5:36 p.m.
I second this nomination! GO BLUE!