On the surface, OSU's self-imposed penalties seem a bit soft. The Buckeyes did not suggest a bowl ban or any scholarship losses.
View full sizeOhio State Athletic Director Gene Smith discusses the school's plan to vacate its wins from the 2010 football season, including its share of the Big Ten championship and the Buckeyes' victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Maybe Ohio State has an understanding with the NCAA, knowing what penalties must be self-imposed to keep the NCAA happy and out of Columbus.
If that's the case, great.
But if not, OSU's response to the NCAA's Notice of Allegations dealing with former coach Jim Tressel and players selling memorabilia is rather soft.
The Buckeyes' approach comes down to this: Tressel is out as coach, and he was the problem.
For months, the Buckeyes denied reports they forced Tressel to resign. But now Ohio State indicates it asked for Tressel's resignation because of his failure to report NCAA violations to his superiors.
Tressel also lied to the NCAA about his players trading memorabilia and other items for cash and tattoos.
Could it be OSU wanted to make it appear Tressel resigned purely of his own will so there would be no fan backlash? Now that the popular coach is gone, the school wants credit from the NCAA for dumping the man who won seven Big Ten titles.
OSU also said it would suspend the five players for five games next season -- but that penalty was already in place. Nothing new there.
OSU agreed to give up its 2010 victories and its win in the 2011 Sugar Bowl. Since they used players who should have been ineligible in those games, that's the natural consequence.
But other than a "self-imposed two-year NCAA probation," there are no penalties looking forward.
And exactly what a self-imposed probation means is vague.
The Buckeyes did not suggest a bowl ban or any scholarship losses.
Their stance appears to be that Tressel's leaving is a major loss. Star quarterback Terrelle Pryor also is headed to the NFL supplemental draft, so that also is a significant loss.
Of course, Pryor was one of five key players set to miss five games this season for his actions at the tattoo parlor.
While the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles has cleared OSU of any wrongdoing in the sale of cars to football players, the NCAA operates under another set of rules. The organization may still be looking into the sale of cars to Pryor and other football players.
OSU can try to pin everything on Tressel, but someone else had to know the players were often seen at the tattoo parlor run by convicted felon Edward Rife. OSU insists its compliance department does a great job, but it missed the connection with Rife and the players.
OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith is very well-connected with the NCAA. The Buckeyes stress how they have been cooperating with the organization.
So it's possible they know the NCAA will accept these penalties.
Buckeye fans better hope the school is reading the NCAA better now than it did when all this first broke.
Remember how OSU suggested only a two-game suspension for Tressel, even though the players received five games? Then they raised Tressel's penalty to five games.
Now, they take credit for the coach leaving.
It's obvious the school was slow to understand the serious nature of the violations.
When dealing with the NCAA, it's always best to suggest tough sanctions -- because you want them off campus and out of your life. Whenever an NCAA investigation hangs over an athletic program, it feels like the shadow of doom. It makes it hard to recruit, and coaches and players are on edge. They don't know what's coming, but fear it will be awful.
The Buckeyes would be on safer ground had they also offered something else -- perhaps taking away five scholarships for next year. Why five? Because it matches the total of the five ineligible players.
What OSU fans should want is for this issue to be settled quickly. But it's hard to know if what the Buckeyes have offered will be enough to make that happen.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2011/07/what_buckeyes_are_offering_mig.html
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