Ohio State Receives Supplemental NOA for DiGeronimo Affair
Yes, this is that kind of gray box.
Today Ohio State released its supplemental NOA stemming from the revelation (assumedly, from Terrelle Pryor's efforts to prove to the NFL that he was ineligible) that registered OSU booster Bobby DiGeronimo paid nine active players a total of $2,405 in improper benefits, i.e. no legitimate work was done to justify the payments.
Among the findings:
- DiGeronimo paid five athletes a combined total of $1,605 for work not performed at Independence Excavating.
- DiGeronimo paid four athletes a combined total of $800 for attending his Cornerstone of Hope charity event.
With an active booster involved - and not a single coach acting alone as conveyed in the Tatgate charges - this is unavoidably a Failure to Monitor charge.
Relevant NCAA documents and letters to these developments can be read here and here. The four-page supplemental NOA can be read here.
You can read Ohio State's response to the allegations here, in which OSU volunteers to forfeit five scholarships over a three year period. The exhibits submitted by the university in its response are right here.
More as it develops. Also: Breathe. This was expected.
Comments
As someone else already mentioned in a different post, after reading everything about Penn State this week, I hardly mind a FTM.
We should strive to keep thy name, of fair repute and spotless fame...
(Also, I'm not a dude)
I don't believe a school has ever gotten a bowl ban without FTM or LOIC but not all schools that have gotten FTM or LOIC have had bowl bans. Hopefully the NCAA tacks on a few more schollys lost and be done with it. A bowl ban would be devatsting for OSU.
Devastating: See Penn St
Bowl Ban: Discouraging, yes. End of world, no.
We should strive to keep thy name, of fair repute and spotless fame...
(Also, I'm not a dude)
Yep. With the week that Penn State is having, this is no big deal.
Johnny Hooker: "He's not as tough as he thinks". Henry Gondorff: "Neither are we".
FTM's always result in a bowl ban? Whats the precedent for FTM but no LOIC?
Time and change will surely show how firm they friendship... O-HI-O.
They do NOT always result in a bowl ban...Michigan got FTM a few years ago for "Stretchgate"....I still think we avoid the bowl ban
thanks for that (finally takes a breath and gets back to work)
Agree. Shouldn't be a bowl ban.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
a strong difference in a FTM over practices of what boiled down to 20 mins a day and money giving out to players.
But I dont think a bowl ban will come or is necessary.
Uh wut? So 5 in total, right? Not 5 for three years?
That's the media consensus. Didn't read the response myself yet.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
Ohio State said they will cut five scholarships over a three-year period beginning in 2012.
I am super busy and can't read all of this. OSU spanks themselves with a loss of 5 total scholarships over 3 years, and that's it right? No bowl bans, correct?
Correct...I still think no bowl ban, but I think the NCAA will close up with a couple more scholarships lost and a couple more years of probation
How many more scholarships would you think they will take? Any idea?
I will guess they double or triple that...so maybe 10 over 3 years? 15 max meaning we sign 20-22 guys per year instead of 25
Losing a whole recruiting class may, in itself, keep Ohio State out of a bowl game at some point in the near future.
when are we losing a whole recruiting class?
No, sorry. I read it wrong. My bad.
OSU lost a top 5 coach, a top five QB, a top 5 RB and a top 5 WR and is still in the hunt for yet another championship and is already bowl eligible with a rookie HC. Down years for us mean 7-8 win seasons. Down years at schools in Ann Arbor are 4-5 win teams with no chance at any bowl. We can lose a few scholarships for a few years and still be in the hunt for the automatic BCS birth. I can live with that.
I think we all knew this was coming. I hope the current players that weren't involved see this as a deterrent and don't consider doing something similar.
Fan of bacon since 1981
I hope recruits don't see this as a reason not to come here.........
You mean when they can go to Oregon or Auburn and get straight cash?
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
As soon as I hit save that was my same thought.....
Scholarship reductions hurt. 15 over 3 years is basically a whole recruiting class. We haven't seen it hurt USC yet, but it probably will.
Just awful. I don't know how these players get in contact with these people, why multiple players are involved, or why it's happening despite so many other high profile cases in which Ohio State/boosters were involved, but this HAS TO STOP.
It's just not worth it.
It's only 5 over 3 years, just to be clear. Not 5 per year.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
Oh, did I read that wrong?
Yeah. 5 total, over three years. I'm guessing 2, 2, 1?
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
This reduction in scholarships is OSU's proposal to the NCAA, with the buzzword being PROPOSAL. OSU, throughout its investigation by the NCAA has always started with minimal punishment and then upped the ante later as people have criticized their self-induced penalties. My guess is that more scholarships will be lost. As for a bowl ban, who knows.
I'm sorry for being pessimistic but I think this new FTM charge is just what the NCAA and Emmertt have been waiting for so it can "make an example" out of Ohio State that they have been wanting to do. Now they have a reason to bring the hammer.
if I'm wrong I'll eat crow, but my sources are telling me this will not be the case
I feel and hope you're right Alex.
But, wanted to throw this in for the lulz.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
I do hope you're right Alex. I hope the NCAA sees that these infractions are expedentially smaller than what's going on at Penn State and the U. It just seems like there is always more and more and more to deal with every week. Can't wait for the day this whole ordeal is over and we can focus on the future direction of OSU without the weight of uncertainty of NCAA sanctions.
I am not sure why Penn State even enters the equation. What PSU is involved with is a criminal probe that seems to be outside the scope of anything related to the NCAA. The only positive I see is that with the buzz from Penn State, people will be talking less about this new level of infractions, but rest assured, it will get its day in the sun down the road when formal penalties are announced and PSU will be getting considerably less bandwidth.
Any new guesses as to when the NCAA will level the sanctions now that these new allegations have be delt with?
According to the story, it will not be before Dec 10, could go on to next year.
In my wildest nightmare I see OSU winning out, going to the B1G CG and winning. Then, the NCAA anounces the following week that there is a bowl ban. And the B1G gets screwed out of any BCS bowl appearance. I know that will never happen, but heh, I never thought last November Tressel and Joe would go down in flames this year.
Maybe I should have put all that in sarcasm font! But if it happens, I want the $50,000 prize!!!!
Since the scholarship reduction starts next year, I believe they could serve the bowl ban (even though I highly doubt it comes to that) starting next year.
My main thing has always been recruiting recruitng recruiting.
I don't want future classes hurt by this as much as possible.
A bowl ban THIS season would avoid that (if there's a 1 year bowl ban). Take our lumps now, write this season off, recruit in the off season and be able to tell the kids 'you come here you can play in the Rose Bowl'. If there's a bowl ban *next* year then it will continue to hurt. I'd also like to stay away from losing 15 schollies too.
@scarletfever99
http://excoboard.com/nosf
Agreed. The B1G is already at a serious disadvantage to teams that oversign without adding scholarship loses to the mix. Below are scholarship signings of Alabama versus OSU over the last 5 years:
Alabama 2005-32, 2006-23, 2007-25, 2008-32, 2009-27, 2010-29
OSU 2005-18, 2006-20, 2007-15, 2008-20, 2009-25, 2010-18
Alabama 235 over 9 years
OSU 180 over 9 years
Kevin
OH!!!!!
Proud parent of a Senior at The Ohio State University
FWIW I think you will hear something BY December 10th....not saying it will happen but wouldn't be surprised if this is all finalized before the Michigan game
that would be nice
Let's say theoretically, Ohio State runs the table, goes to and wins the Big Ten championship game on Dec 3. and gets an invite to the Rose Bowl as Big Ten champs (which is a very real possibility), then the NCAA comes out with an OSU bowl ban for this year.
A. Would the NCAA do that after the Big Ten rep has been decided or would they just give OSU a 2013 ? and
B. Who would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl if this situation happened? The Legends winner?
It seems very unfair to all teams involved if the situation above happened.
My guess is that the Rose Bowl would be free to take another B1G team of it's choosing.
It would be fantastically plausible that the Big Ten would 1) Ban us from a bowl game for a year or two and 2) Turn right around and allow OSU to play this year similar to the 5 game suspension for Tat Gate which started after the bowl game (by their choice).
Beware the sound of one hand clapping.....
Thanks for helping me sleep, sources. In light of the horror at Happy Valley, I can see the NCAA start to realize what it really should be enforcing and this tattoo and charity crap will be put in perspective.
I hope the Hammer of Arbitrary Justice isn't as arbitrary as we all fear. It's supposed to be an organization of rules. We've violated the letter, but not the spirit of them. That, to me = slap on the wrist. Especially in light of what's happened in Eugene, Auburn, and Coral Gables.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
Don't forget that somehow, someway, nothing actually happened at Auburn. I still can't believe that, but it's time to give up on that front...
It's an absolute farce that no punishment has come of that. I have the feeling that Miss State will take the brunt of the $Cam Newton action when the NCAA finally comes down on someone in 2012 or 2013.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
Maybe they lost 10 scholarships a year and responded by oversigning by 15 per year
JLP36
Meh. No children were hurt. Ohio State will survive this.
Because we couldn't go for three.
The NCAA needs to check itself, lest it be hit with its own FTM charge. The NCAA is already on probation; if it pushes things too far, the NCAA will be staring at the Death Penalty.
The Ohio State University, College of Arts & Sciences, Class of 2006
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Class of 2009
+1
Proud to be a Buckeye in SEC territory...Long Live the Vest!!
Class of 2003 OSU/ATI "Where the men are men, women are few and the sheep are scared.."
I love how the University used "then Head Coach Jim Tressel" all over the response. I think that clearly shows how much Tressel cared for his team and respected the University all together.
Proud to be a Buckeye in SEC territory...Long Live the Vest!!
Class of 2003 OSU/ATI "Where the men are men, women are few and the sheep are scared.."
And why do we keep self reporting all of this?
The Ohio State University Class of 2001
BS Aero & Astronautical Engineering
drowning myself in winter lager and leadbelly and art-- ftw!
FTM was expected. There was too much going on in too many directions to avoid a conclusion that a school that spends as much on sports as tOSU does should have known and maybe did. And because there was so much, and because we were on probation already, and because Smith and Gee spent too long dissing the process (I hope JT doesn't fire me) before they decided to pay lip service to taking it seriously (suspend JT for two games????? like that was gonna show that we were being serious?) I see more than 5 lost scholarships in three years. That is basically nothing - lose #4 on a depth chart each year. This has the feel of 10-15 scholarships lost to me, enough that we lose some #2s on the chart. I don't think a bowl ban but that may depend on whether Smith continues to minimize our violations and our sanctions. My suggestion - not that anyone is asking - is for us to voluntarily increase our penalty to 10 lost scholarships, that at least can be offered without getting laughed at. I just fear that trying to lowball the NCAA increases the chance of a bowl ban.
Agreed. The NCAA probably isn't going to accept 5 over 3 years. Originally I thought OSU's self-imposed penalty was 5 a year for 3 years...totalling 15. That's what happened to USC, and thought it sounded harsh but fitting. But I read it wrong, and now it seems like a slap on the wrist. For some reason, football players at Ohio State keep involving themselves with these types of people. Clarett, Smith, now a host of people WHILE the investigation was ongoing. Obviously, the current means of punishment aren't working. Suspending a player might not be harsh enough of a deterrent.
Maybe we need to hire a coach that will kick kids off the team?
I think we need to keep our mouth fookin' shut. Let the ncaa come up with the penalty and then take it. Don't offer anything up. No other school does this. We "hit the sweet spot" and then get dry humped even more. Smith is incompetent as can be and needs to shut the fook up and quit/be fired. Don't expect the ncaa to be fare with this. They are going to throw us to the wolves and let Oregon and Da U off scott free. Self reporting makes it worse IMHO.
No, not true. Especially with an FTM now officially on the table. Our best hope is to communicate that we ARE taking it seriously. If we stop cooperating the NCAA could give us a LOIC-type penalty, and that likely is a bowl ban. The NCAA may be without moral authority but until the big schools form superconferences and walk away from the NCAA - which can be done - the NCAA has all the power.
The point is that we have NOT hit the sweet spot. Ever. We offered slap-on-the-wrists for JT and the gang; we upped it to a poke with a blunt object; we poo-pooed the process. We did turn over information in situations where some schools might not have, but the NCAA was gonna find it anyway - all the media dogs were gonna lead the NCAA to where the bodies were buried. The time for hitting the sweet spot was at penalty negotiation, and we have never made reasonable offers except when we absolutely had to. Any good criminal lawyer will tell you that when you have a bad case you don't leave the penalty entirely up to the judge - you make the best reasonable offer you can live with. That's where we are now. We chest-bump at our own peril!
This year in CFB cannot go away fast enough*. That is all.
*I was going to say it can "blow me" or something to that effect but PSUageddon has wrecked my sophomoric humor o' meter for the foreseeable future. I hate everything right now.
"You have to slay the selfish beast inside of you and be your brother's keeper" - Chris Spielman, on being a great teammate
I was thinking same thing. Also curious on the over/under on South Park jumping all over Penn St..
I seriously hope this ends Smith's bid for NCAA prez. He has been overwhelmingly aloof in this whole ordeal.
theDuke
Hell, I hope Smith goes to Indy, or State College, or anywhere else -- just as long as he leaves Columbus.
Amen. Lets pass the hat for his moving expenses.
JLP36
ESPN announced in the 5 o'clock hour, one of its sponsors is pulling ads from its broadcasts of Penn State's games against Nebraska and Ohio State.
And Gene Smith still survives. That's sad. He should have been canned a long time ago.
I would not be surprised if Smith and the OSU Board of Trustees have already agreed upon the terms of his separation from the University once the NCAA Infractions Committee completes it's work.
I still find it alarming that after the week that has been, from an NCAA infractions/impending doom standpoint, the Penn State job remains the more ideal position for top level coaching candidates.
it isnt. if it is, its only because it is the only school in the northeast that is any good in college football.
I hope I'm wrong. I really want to be. The biggest thing to me is, no bowl ban beyond this season. We would lose recruits for the next few years, if so, and would therefore thin our choice in coaches, if they know they are coming into a brutally wounded situation.
On the flip side, PSU faces no NCAA issues (yet) and the new coach can just "start fresh" (not to mention snag some of our recruits b/c THEY will be bowl eligible next year and beyond).
Enough of my worst fears... I'll be optimistic!
Yeah but who would even want to walk into the PSU facilities, knowing whats gone on over the past decade +. The whole thing is just creepy at this point. Plus nobody wants to follow in Joe Paterno's footsteps... esp when he leaves the in the unceremonious way that he did.
Time and change will surely show how firm they friendship... O-HI-O.
That's a great point, Across...how could you not get the creeps in there. Gross.
Cars.com is pulling its ads from ESPN's broadcasts of Penn State's games against Nebraska and Ohio State.
That is a quote from NCAA Emmert in his statement regarding the PSU situation.....
Reeealllly?
Where was this sentiment regarding Tressel and the existence of a Federal investigation? How come players get to break LAWS and face smaller penalites than when they violate infractions?
Laughable
Buckeye born and bred. Buckeye til I'm dead.
This would be a great time for the NCAA to make a decision with all of the PSU stuff going on.
go bucks
The NCAA and ESPN probably have a deal to drop the bomb in the middle of Michigan week. They are probably giving ESPN time to put together several prime time specials ripping Ohio State.
And then the Buckeyes will go into Ann Arbor and crush Michigan anyway!
JLP36
And ESPiN has to take a break in their coverage of Penn State to talk about this. Yay.
At least he prefaced it by saying, "Ohio State is about 300 miles away from PSU, but they are not even on the same planet and only compare by having their coaches fired....blah, blah, blah, reduction in schollys...blah, blah, blah....failure to monitor....blah, blah, blah....possible bowl ban."
Buckeye born and bred. Buckeye til I'm dead.
Not surprised at FTM. Looks like bowl ban is on the table now. A month ago at this time, with the way things were going, that would've been fine, assuming the ban would only last a year. Now, with things looking up, it sucks.
What if we were to win the division, win in Indy, and get ourselves to the Rose Bowl, only for the NCAA to say "Sorry, guys! No bowl for you!"? With what's going on at Penn State, they may very well lose out. That would likely send Wisconsin to the Rose Bowl to get embarrassed again. Ugh.
Class of 2010.
This combined with the unavoidable "repeat offender" to me, guarantees a 1 yr ban. Disagree?
I thought there were documents clearing the kids for their hours worked, but the NCAA wouldn't accept them or something like that? Have those documents been released?