Jim Tressel: Your Only "Fear" Was Getting Caught—Period

Listen, full disclosure here, this post is not an attempt at being fair or balanced. No, the approach here is simple: to call a spade a spade. 

Upon reading Jim Tressel's "apology" for failing to report the violations of his players—which, by the way, if you're buying that whole "feared for their safety argument", then I have a wonderful piece of sandy real estate in the north pole to sell you—I only have two observations: 1) Tressel is only sorry he got caught, and 2) Tressel is about as honest as an Amway salesperson if he tries to spin it any other way.

While I won't profess to know all of Tressel's intentions, his decision to withhold information about  the impermissible activities of his players cannot be accepted as an omission prompted by any so-called "fear" of restitution by any third-party. On the contrary, based on the emails exchanged between Tressel and the informant, his players engaged in the behavior, willingly, on multiple occasions—at some points even soliciting Mr. Rife via cell phone contact—and Tressel's response didn't seem to elicit anything more than a passing curiosity as to how he might curb their behavior.

At the press conference, Tressel stated "I have had a player murdered. I've had a player incarcerated. I've had a player get taken into the drug culture and lose his opportunity for a productive life...it was obviously tremendously concerning. Quite honestly, I was scared."

Well, not to sound insensitive, but there are more than a handful of coaches in the college football ranks who share in that experience with Tressel—it explains nothing.

And, even if anyone was naive enough to buy Tressel's stab at emotional sympathy, those same persons would be smart to ask the following question: why not blow the whistle on the whole enchilada once the shady dealings were finally exposed in January? Surely if there were ever a time to let the information highway flow freely, it was then because, well, the cat was out of the bag. Yet, instead, he continued to keep the information to himself—why?

I'll tell you why, he kept it a secret for the same reason then as he did in April of 2010,  he knew he was in deep crapola if any one found out. He was simply trying to protect his and his players backsides—nothing more.

However, the more appalling behavior, in my opinion, comes not from Tressel (unfortunately, dirty coaches appear to be in fashion right now), but from the Ohio State administration in general. Do they honestly believe that a two game suspension coupled with a $250,000 fine is enough?...Seriously?

First of all, the Buckeyes play scrub one and scrub two in the first two games, so it's not like Tressel would have done much coaching in the first place and, furthermore, university president, Gordon Gee, sounds like he's just moments away from grabbing a set of knee pads for ol' Jimmy (good grief, Mr. Gee, could you BE anymore of a sniffer, "I'm just hoping the coach doesn't dismiss me."...is this guy for real?), so it wouldn't surprise me if the $250,000 fine doesn't come out of Tressel's pockets—per se.

NCAA President, Marc Emmert, has already proven to be a complete moron in the way he handles such blatant violations as this one (see Cam Newton as well as the Ohio State Five), so all eyes will be on him again with this latest turn of events and, for his sake, I hope he finds some intelligence in making a ruling on a real punishment for The Ohio State University.

They should be forced to forfeit the entire 2010 season and Jim Tressel should, in my homer humble opinion, be required to sit out more than just a couple of meaningless football games in 2011. The stuff should hit the fan for Ohio State and, if it doesn't, expect most of hell to not only break loose, but to take up permanent residence in Indianapolis—starting with the office of the president. 

Related articles

• Jim Tressel's success leads to missteps (aol.sportingnews.com)

College Football: Forget Integrity, We Just Want The Money

After the story broke about Ohio State players selling their jerseys and accepting favors, many of us watched and waited to see what the all-mighty NCAA would do to punish the players and the university—at the very least we expected the six offenders to sit for the Sugar Bowl.

Well, what happened instead is yet another example of how the NCAA is just another bully masquerading as an organization of order.

Ohio State was given the option of delaying suspensions until the start of the 2011 season, and now that the representatives of the Sugar bowl have spoken, we know why—money.

Said Sugar Bowl CEO, Paul
Hoolahan,

"I made the point that anything that could be done to preserve the integrity of this year's game, we would greatly appreciate it...that appeal did not fall on deaf ears, and I'm extremely excited about it, that the Buckeyes are coming in at full strength and with no dilution."

Must be nice.

While it's easy to understand Hoolahan's motives—he is a business man after all—it's less easy to explain away the obvious double-standard of the NCAA in this case.

Are they the governing body of college football or not?

A.J. Green sat four games for selling his jersey, Anthony Dasher missed four for taking a $1500 loan, and last season, Dez Bryant missed most of his final season for talking to Deion Sanders...but Ohio State gets the option of delaying punishment because some bowl official doesn't want another lackluster BCS game on his hands?

Nice job of getting tough, Mr. Emmert. Here we thought you were bringing balance to the NCAA—as it's new president—but as it turns out, you just brought a bigger checkbook.

What a joke.

ATS Bowl Predictions for 12/18: Will BYU Crush UTEP In New Mexico?

89-83 is how the Lady ended the college football season. The goal was to get above .500—mission accomplished. Now, it's time to go bowling and the record starts anew.

The first week of bowl season starts on Saturday afternoon as BYU takes on the The University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) in New Mexico at high noon.

Admittedly, UTEP hasn't been seen very much—aside from an epic walloping they sustained at the hand of Houston—so there is little to be said about how good or bad they truly are this season.

That said, bowl games, particularly those played after several weeks of rest and against an unknown conference, tend to be full of drama. So, UTEP has just as much of an opportunity to win this game as BYU does. Even still, the late season turnaround by the Cougars gives them the edge here.

Jake Heaps began to gain confidence towards the end of his freshman season and seemed more comfortable in the Cougar's offense. He will be their biggest asset this weekend as the game will be won or lost on his play.

That said, let's jump right in with my spread picks for the following games—of which there are three. All lines appear courtesy of VegasInsider.com:

December 18th 

1. BYU vs. UTEP, New Mexico Bowl: BYU (-11.5)

The  Cougars woke up mid-season and showed signs that 2011 would be a much better campaign than 2010.  The Miners have suffered their most crushing losses at the hands of teams with good passing quarterbacks—their secondary cannot keep up. BYU should cruise in this one.

The Lady's Pick: BYU to cover

2. Northern Illinois at Fresno State, Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois (-1.5)

Honestly, if nothing else, the weather will play a huge role in this game. There is plenty of reason to doubt the effectiveness of the Bulldogs in a game where the possibility of snow looms large, against a team with a better than average defense.

The Lady's Pick: Northern Illinois to cover

3. Ohio at Troy, New Orleans Bowl: Troy (-1.5)

You may as well toss a coin to pick this game but, since that's too lame a thing to do, lets just go on history—the MAC plays well against the Sun Belt (4-1). Troy might be favored in  what is likely to be a close game, but go with Ohio.

The Lady's Pick: Ohio to cover

Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Takes LeBron James To The Woodshed

I didn't watch "The Decision".  I fully admit that I was not interested in anything that LeBron James had to say about his future. Shame on ESPN for helping him to make this spectacle what it was and shame on us for allowing it to become important enough to warrant the coverage.

That said, the backlash from the spurned Cleveland Cavaliers organization, specifically that of Dan Gilbert, goes beyond sour grapes and straight into "tell em' why you mad, son" territory.

This guy must have been waiting patiently for the announcement to take place because, as soon as it did, he unleashed hell on LeBron James, his dedication to the Cavs, and his character as a man. Just look at some of the things he's said:

"People have covered up for (James) for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is."

Is that a fact, Mr. Gilbert? I would offer that we already knew who he was three years ago—and so did you. After all, any player who brands himself "The King" isn't hurting in the ego department.

And what exactly has been "covered up for" about James?

I'm no fan of his but, for my money, no one would give two licks about the Cavaliers or you if James had not led your organization back from its abyss of nothingness.

And weren't you the same guy who spent the last two years squashing any rumors of him leaving Cleveland? You defended him vehemently while placing blame on the media for the persistent rumors and, as I recall, LeBron did nada to dispel the speculation.

Don't be mad because the spade turned out to be a spade.

"I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA Championship before the self-titled former 'king' wins one....You can take it to the bank." (from post announcement letter to fans)

Ummmm...okay.

Let me get this straight (now that I've stopped laughing), prior to LeBron's arrival in 2003 your team had not made a playoff appearance since 1991. A losing effort as they were ousted by the Bulls and Jordan in round one.

With LeBron, you not only went to the playoffs the last five seasons but went deep into them and were FAVORED to win the title on multiple occasions—MULTIPLE. Now, you are trying to sell your fans on the idea that you are better off without him?...

Oh my goodness—stop. Just stop... (excuses self to go laugh again).

"LeBron James needs to go to another team with two superstars already so he can win a championship," (AP, 7/8/10)

Can I go ahead and say this?....Okay, thank you—DUHHHHHHH!!!!

Of course he left to find better players to help him win. In the seven-years he was with Cleveland, you gave him a bunch of "has-been", "never-were", and "never gonna be" players to square up alongside him. He needed better than that if you wanted him to bring home the title—you dropped the ball.

LeBron is not Jordan. Jordan elevated the play of those around him—that's not LeBron's thing. He wants the glory minus the responsibility. You should have given him more than the salvation army of nobodies that you did and maybe he would have stayed.

"The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma. Just watch. Sleep well, Cleveland." (from post announcement letter).

What the heck is this, "The Color Purple"? Give me a break, Mr. Gilbert. The curse was lifted when LeBron arrived and it returns with his departure. For all you know, his leaving was part of Cleveland's existing curse.

Wow, Dan, you're a funny guy.

Listen, "The Decision" spectacle was as pointless and unnecessary as the responses that it will generate in the days to come, but the fact is, LeBron James is now a member of the Miami Heat.

Debate all you like about his arrogance, lack of class, and disrespect of the Cleveland fans loyalty—none of that matters now. The deed is done and it's time to see what he's really made of now that he has no excuses.

Will the real LeBron James please stand up?