The Jim Tressel fallout

Time for some thoughts on the Jim Tressel resignation and the program at Ohio State .

I have always been a Jim Tressel supporter and remain so despite the problems.
That said,the good of the program has to come first and the time had come.

Tressel protected his players from their mistakes,which is admirable but still wrong.
They screwed up and Tressel's attempts to shield them from their errors for right or for wrong is what cost him his job.
As Richard Nixon learned with Watergate-it is usually the coverup that takes you down,not the crime.

I still think the "crime" of selling your own property is a B.S. one,but like it or not,the rules are the rules.
One cannot say the rule is stupid,so I refuse to follow it.
Try that one in everyday life and see how far that defense gets you the next time that you get pulled over for a traffic violation.

One can easily say that the touted Terrelle Pryor has been far more trouble than he has been worth.
Sometimes,the highest rated recruits aren't the ones that turn out the best...

I have no issue with Tressel being removed,but AD Gene Smith and most importantly President Gordon Gee need to join him.
The Buckeye football program needs a full housecleaning,not just a partial one...

This likely came down to lessen the NCAA punishment,if and that is a BIG if this is the best that can be found-Ohio State forcing out Tressel will go a long way in reducing the time for the crime.

Say what you wish about Tressel,but his players hit the classroom.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports this on the OSU academic numbers-"Ohio State was ranked No. 5 in all of Division I football by the latest NCAA Academic Progress Report. The Buckeyes were at 985, the best of any nationally ranked program. The others ahead of OSU are Northwestern, Rutgers, Northern Illinois and Duke."

Now,the names mentioned to replace Tressel are big ones.
Luke Fickell might have to run the table to keep the job beyond this year,but the candidates have some huge names-Urban Meyer,Bob Stoops,Jon Gruden and Bo Pelini have to be front runners for the job.
Of that crew,Meyer and Stoops have won national titles and have Ohio connections.
Gruden is an Ohio product as well and Pelini is an OSU player and graduate.

I will try to be back later with the Pirates 7-3 loss to the Mets,if not,I'll do a post covering both games tomorrow