Ohio State has suspended head football coach, Jim Tressel, for the first two games of the 2011 season and has also fined him $250,000 after Tressel admitted to withholding information about his players’ involvement in selling memorabilia. Five Buckeye players were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season last December after being found guilty for accepting inappropriate benefits for selling team memorabilia. It has now been proven that Tressel was aware of these infractions last April, nearly 9 months before the issue was brought to the university.
As a Michigan fan, people would think that I would be jumping for joy in result of the demise of the “hated” Buckeyes. To be honest, I am discouraged. This serious infraction the OSU team has to deal with does absolutely nothing to enhance the Michigan program, except for possibly gaining a potential recruit that might have otherwise chosen the Buckeyes. However, with the constant character problems OSU has had with players, I wouldn’t want them on my team anyway. This infraction is not just a blow for the Buckeyes, but a blow for college sports. Jim Tressel, despite having a few troubled players on the team, has always been perceived as a clean coach with a clean program. However, the NCAA has yet to enforce their consequences on the coach and must make an example out of him. More game suspensions and a bigger fine would send a significant message to Tressel. Once you truly inhibit his ability to do his job (a two game coaching suspension against Akron and Toledo at home is not a suspension, it’s a vacation) and you take away a serious piece of his salary ($250,000 is about 1/12 of his yearly salary) might make him think a little harder the next time he decides to conveniently forget the rules. The more severe penalties that coaches have to account for MAY make it less likely for them to commit infractions in the future.
As a Michigan fan, people would think that I would be jumping for joy in result of the demise of the “hated” Buckeyes. To be honest, I am discouraged. This serious infraction the OSU team has to deal with does absolutely nothing to enhance the Michigan program, except for possibly gaining a potential recruit that might have otherwise chosen the Buckeyes. However, with the constant character problems OSU has had with players, I wouldn’t want them on my team anyway. This infraction is not just a blow for the Buckeyes, but a blow for college sports. Jim Tressel, despite having a few troubled players on the team, has always been perceived as a clean coach with a clean program. However, the NCAA has yet to enforce their consequences on the coach and must make an example out of him. More game suspensions and a bigger fine would send a significant message to Tressel. Once you truly inhibit his ability to do his job (a two game coaching suspension against Akron and Toledo at home is not a suspension, it’s a vacation) and you take away a serious piece of his salary ($250,000 is about 1/12 of his yearly salary) might make him think a little harder the next time he decides to conveniently forget the rules. The more severe penalties that coaches have to account for MAY make it less likely for them to commit infractions in the future.
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