I'm probably in the minority, but I lost most if not all respect for him throughout the events surrounding his dismissal from OSU.
That was a comment from tennisbuckeye19 on the poll for today (5/9), and it sparked an interesting thought in my head. What do we, as a fanbase, think of jim tressel?
1. Obviously he was a fantastic coach, I think his record speaks for itself. As much as we may complain about tresselball and how excited we are to have a revamped offense, I think that anyone would be satisfied with his performance as a coach over the last ten years.
2. As a person, the good he has done has been fairly well-documented on this site, anecdotally, and on other sites. I have never heard a single indictment of his character by anyone (outside the media) who has ever met him. By all accounts (in interviews and stories about him that I've read), he seems to have been a good, charitable, caring, god-fearing man. (Please acknowledge that "god-fearing" is used here as a euphemism and not meant to have a religious connotation).
3. He clearly made a mistake by not reporting NCAA violations to the proper people, lying to the NCAA and others, and resigned "In disgrace" according to at least one source.
I guess my question is: given everything we know now, would we do it all over again?
At this point, I will give my own opinion, so feel free to completely tune out, and just post a comment below, or don't, its all good either way.
I think that Jim Tressel is one of the best things that has happened to ohio state. He was THE quintessential ohio state coach. He was a fantastic coach who did things the right way (for the most part), he was from ohio, he clearly loved the buckeyes, and he stayed true to the "three yards and a cloud of dust" offense that we love/hate so much. An interesting caveat, I think at least, is that he stayed true to the tradition of relatively unkown coaches coming to ohio state. Jack Park (osu historian) affirms here that urban is probably the first ever "celebrity" to come to osu as a head football coach.
I am a huge urban meyer fan, and I am happy that he is our head coach. By all accounts, he too can become as perfect of a fit with ohio state as jim tressel was. But before we move on, i think it's appropriate to look back. Are we happy to have had Jim Tressel as our coach? Would we be proud of our children if they followed his life path?
Thanks for the perhaps two of you that actually read this, I was about as succinct as dickens in his prime, except that I'm not being paid by the word :/
My opinion:
Tressel screwed the pooch and is vastly more responsible than any other agent for the ensuing shit storm post-Tatgate.
That being said, the man was a phenominal human being and coach--and his love for his players (and humanity, for that matter) was unquestioned and unparalelled within his profession. I think his fall is directly attributable to his perception: before Tatgate, he was the guy who always won, and always did it the right way--an infallable figure, and possibly the last bastion of true morality in a sport that's rapidly becoming devoid of it; post Tatgate, he was strung up and crucified by the media because he proved that he was indeed fallable. Perception did a 180--not because of the severity of his crimes, but because of the fact that a crime stained his record.
For what it's worth, I think we might have gotten a better game coach in Meyer who will do everything in his power to uphold Tressel's (and Ohio State's) legacy. Not just as a person, but as a human being, as well.
For me to lose all respect for someone they have to do far worse than lie to the NCAA, especially with the extenuating circumstances that surrounded the entire situation. I will always remember JT very fondly. He will once again prove to be the great man that many of us believe he is in his role at Akron IMHO.
vacuuming sucks
My thoughts on Tressel, that you quoted above, have nothing to do with him as a coach. I loved him as our coach. My loss of respect for him is also not because I think he isn't a "good person". I do think it is possible for a person to be inherently good but make poor decisions.
But I read his book the 'Winner's Manual' and I've heard him speak and he preached character and taking responsibility for your actions, yet when it came down to it, in my opinion, he failed to show character and take responsibility. He himself did not practice what he preached. He didn't come forth with information that he knew were violations (and yes I know a kid selling their stuff is a dumb rule, but its still a rule). Then he lied about what he knew. And when he was caught, he played a fool along with Gee and Smith. Still to this day, has he come clean and actually taken responsibility for his part in what took place?
So I am actually conflicted, because while I like Tressel and all the good he did for OSU, the school, the football program, and etc. , I don't really respect him.
I didn't like him because he always beat us, but I always felt like he was putting up a front. He just seemed too good to be true, and felt a little weasley to me. Did he just make a mistake with how he handled the situation a couple of years ago, or was his true self exposed? Who knows? He's probably a really good person, and no one can deny that he was 150% OSU from head to tail.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
He always beat Michigan and won a National title. I will always love and respect him. People make mistakes. He deserves a second chance!
I loved Tressel, and I still do. Could he have handled the situation differently? Of course, however I think a lot of us have made questionable decisions at points in our life(I know I have). I know im probably in the minority here but imo gene smith and gordon gee shoulda been fired as well.
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
With you on Smith, not Gee. Smith is worthless, Gee is invaluable.
I cannot comprehend how anyone thinks Gee should be fired. I can understand that people want Smith gone, but Gee? The guy is the top university president in the nation and has brought enormous monetary contributions to the university. The guy is good at his job folks, I could give a rat's ass about what he says pertaining to sports.
Michigan Fan Perspective:
I hated Tressel just like any Michigan fan did, partly because he owned us. But, as an outsider he just seemed like a slime ball. I get that impression just from what had transpired under him at Youngstown St. Sure, he had good quallities to him, but I just felt like he was a cheater. Now, I do not know he was the one coordinating it, but he knew what was going on and turned a blind eye. End of the day, he is responsible for all that. If Jim Tressel was a Michigan coach and had the success against OSU and put us in the situation you guys are in today. (not bad to be honest) I would be very pissed off at him.
His legacy on the field is clear, one of the greatest coaches of his time. His B10 record, the BCS wins, the National Championship all testify to that. However, and this might be a little bit of a thread-jack here, after 10 years of watching JT at OSU I never could quite put my finger on what made him great. Unlike someone like Urban Meyer, JT wasn't an innovator. In fact, his offenses were traditionally (tragi-comically) inept. The team relied on strong defenses in its best seasons, but JT never coached those defenses. Still, after he left, we all saw what he meant to the program. Question to the board: What do you think made JT a great coach?
Tressel could have done it differently. He could have been a coward and just dumped the load on someone else shoulder + screw up a federal investigation. what kind of monster would he have been then? His choice was an unselfish choice that put only him in a bad spot.
@hail I know he's not the man the media and comments like yours make him out to be.
O H I O is the Buckeye State
William,
There was a firejimtressel.com website that popped up during the 2004 season, and it was actually a decent movement within parts of the OSstudent body during my time at OSU. If that gained momentum during an 8-4 season, 2 years removed from a national title, nothing OSU fans do should shock you at this point.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
Dear Michigan fans,
I would rather not hear your opinion of JT. He was/is not a slimeball or weasel and if he was, he was our slimeball and weasel.
Thanks
Dear Pan,
Sorry about that. Maybe people can start adding disclaimers to threads that Michigan fans can't comment in. That would clear things up.
http://youtu.be/iXn6sM4uX7c
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
I guess this just falls under the category of "if you have nothing good to say, do not say it at all." At least Pam thinks so. Truly did not mean to offend anyone. Just thought someone would of liked to hear an outsiders perspective.
To think, after all these years I hated Steve Fisher.....
@AHH SATURDAY - Tresselball won for the same reasons that the Pittsburgh Steelers have become the quintessential NFL dynasty: hard nosed defense and ball-control offense. It's tough to beat teams that don't make mistakes or squander opportunities.
@XTREME - Tressel should have never acted unilaterally--that was his downfall. No one ever mentions the investigation, and I for one believe that it deserves merit for a plausable source of his motivation, but he should have notified Gene Smith at the very least. He really should have talked to Smith and Compliance, and then partnered with the NCAA to handle discipline. Suspensions would have been handed down as soon as the investigation concluded--or simply not made public.
@RATIONAL & HAIL - Tressel was never a coach in the same vein as Woody or Earle in that he wasn't a fierce micromanager of his kids' behaviors. In fact, he was very similar to Bo Schembechler in that regard (who's opinion on the well-known fact that his players were drinking and smoking pot in the '70s was to basically shrug it off--I suspect that he was ahead of his time in knowing that you can't micromanage every facet of your players life. This was one of the huge differences between Woody and Bo's players, Bo felt like one of them whereas Woody was God Almighty). I can understand where you would get those ideas about him being a slimeball, but--aside from him lying to the NCAA--where else did he do the wrong thing? Does one bad deed outweigh the countless amount of money he raised for charities? All the work he did for the community in Columbus? The fact that he still keeps in touch with Maurice Clarett and convinced him to go back to school? I think not. Okay, maybe he was a hypocrite (at least once in his life), but I don't think that the man was ever fake. I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree, but I don't believe the man was anything less than genuine.
The man made his own bed, no question there. But, let's look at his "cover up," it was so pathetically executed that at least I get the feeling that he had no idea what he was doing. I'd have to believe that if he had been that reckless in his previous 25+ years of coaching, someone would have unturned some stones somewhere (not including a journalist's hearsay testimony from convicted felons). He might not have been as perfect as we all believed that he was, but I also cannot concede that the man was a fake, either. Current evidence points far more towards the former than the latter.
Check this article out, it shows the other side of his lax nature with his kids--and how these players used the time to visit hospitals.
I never doubted he was a good guy, but I think he was more about winning than anything else, however way it happened. I just believe he turned a blind eye to the things that were happening. Kids were not just getting free tattoos under him. Come on guys.
Difference between him and Woody or Bo, is if they knew that was going on they would be the first to go knock on that booster's door or anyone else for that matter, who was giving their players extra benefits. Just the stories from the last year have given me a bad impression about him as a coach and his ethics towards winning the right way. I am sure though, he is a great man away from the game. If that makes sense.
@hail2victors9 The general consensus around here is that UM fans such as you and RMM are to be welcomed on this site. I think you are aware that is not the case on most fan friendly websites. So, I would think that knowing that and having been here long enough you would use a little more common sense or restraint when giving your opinion on our former and very much beloved coach. It's called respect and tact which you have been given by the majority of fans here.
@RATIONAL - I totally agree that kids weren't just getting free tattoos, I think it's a relative level of acceptance that one has to make peace with--kids in big-time areas are always going to get free stuff, there's no way around that. OSU, UM, ND, USC, 'BAMA, LSU, UF, UT--all of these schools' players get treated like royalty, there's no escaping that. I can't imagaine how many tips major college coaches across the country get every single day (I think Tressel even echoed that sentiment during his conference).
What I wonder, is how he'd have handled the situation had no federal investigation been involved. No question that he handled it wrong, but I think that he thought--with the level of severity involving compromising a federal investigation/endangering players who might be connected--a unilateral action might be the best way to protect the situation. I can understand how for most people, the more salient fact is that his players were primed for a championship run--but they wouldn't have been given season-crippling suspentions if the problem was dealt with immediately.
Love JT and will remember the good he did not the way he left.
@Hodge: I agree with you, as well. But, not trying to be a homer or anything. There is fear around the Michigan program and boosters to make sure you do not give anything extra to players. BO put that fear in the people in Ann Arbor and around the program. So, that line has never been crossed again, at least from what the general public knows. I would like to believe that fear is still there amongst boosters and alumni. Just to make things clear, Ed Martin was not a booster. He had no affiliation with Michigan. He lived in Southwest, Detroit and was there to help people. Was actually a pretty good guy.
Am I naive enough to think there isn't a player doing something he should not? No, I am not. Like you said things happen everywhere, but I do like to believe it is very limited and kids on recruiting visits are not meeting people they should not.
BTW here is an article that I found interesting:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/jim_trotter/05/09/terrelle...
Pryor admitting taking money his Freshmen year. Do not know if it is a good idea for this guy to talk. EVER
Remember the timeline of events:
December 2010:
- Feds raid Fine Line Ink. OSU and the NCAA are informed that some players have been trading memoribilia for cash and tattoos.
- NCAA decides to reinstate the players for the Sugar Bowl.
January 2011:
- OSU compliance discovers Tressel's emails from Cicero and reports them to the NCAA. This is not news, as per the COI report, Tressel informed OSU compliance in December that he had in fact received a tip, but only Posey and Pryor were named, and the details were not clear.
February 2011:
- Tressel appears in front of the Committee on Infractions. He gives what amounts to an affirmative defense to explain his actions. He explained that he was predominantly concerned with three things: the safety of the players, dispensing priveleged information from an attorney, and possible legal ramifications for interfering with a federal investigation. All things considered, he believed the best course of action would be to keep quiet until the Federal Investigation was complete, acknowledging that he was prepared to come forward afterwards and accept whatever punishment was handed down. When pressed harder, he said that in hindsight he would have gone to the university legal counsel. However, in keeping with his affirmative defense of genuine concern, he follows that statement that in hindsight he still "would have not gone to compliance" because he saw the issues as being "above" the NCAA.
March 2011:
- The media gets wind that Tressel knew about TatGate before it happened. This is not news to OSU or the NCAA, who have known since December.
- The media gets wind of the Tressel emails and that Tressel had contacted Ted Sarniak. This is still not news to OSU or the NCAA, as they have known since January after OSU voluntarily turned over the emails.
May 2011:
- Loaner cars story breaks. Loaner cars story disapproved in a matter of hours.
- Ray Small interview published. Ray Small discrdited within hours by nearly every human being with a pulse as well as a multitude of OSU football alumni.
- Snippets of the Dohrmann piece leak. Under pressure, Tressel resigns. Dohrmann piece later proved to be about as factual as a "Woman has extraterrestrial baby" story a tabloid published the same day.
So what gives? What did Tressel do what was so wrong? Most well say the following:
- He covered it up!.... False. Tressel withheld information. A cover up would entail deleting a paper/cyber trail so that it does not lead back to someone. In fact, Tressel did none of this.
- Tressel lied to the NCAA!.... True and false. Tressel did sign that routine compliance form in September of 2010, which I guess is technically lying, but was forthright and admitted everything in December and later explained why he did it.
- Tressel lied to the NCAA in December when they came on campus to investigate!... False. Tressel answered every question the NCAA asked, and the NCAA was aware that Tressel was tipped off in the spring.
- Tressel lied to the NCAA when they asked if he told anyone else about his tip!... False. Tressel admitted to telling Sarniak about it.
- Tressel knew that it was only cash and tattoos and not drugs!... False. Tressel did not know the extent to which the kids were involved with Rife. And to think that it makes the players anymore safe if they weren't, then you do not understand how organized drug rings work. And just because they weren't involved with Rife doesn't mean that they couldn't potentially know something that would make them a target of the man Rife was testifying against. Remember, RIFE WAS TESTIFYING AGAINST SOMEONE IN A MURDER INVESTIGATION. HE WAS RATTING SOMEONE OUT. You don't have to watch a lot of crime shows to know that this situation potentially makes a target out of anyone that has ever had significant contact with Rife (and honestly, what better way for your gang to "send a message" than to knock off a star football player, proving that "no one is safe"?).
So in the end, Tressel did exactly what he intended to do: he waited until the Federal Investigation was over, and after being assured that his players were not in danger, he was forthright with the NCAA and was prepared to accept any punishment levied against him. It's all in the COI report. Having had a classmate get riddled with bullets as the result of a drug turf war (and he was a customer, NOT a dealer), I would have done the exact same thing as Tressel. Except that I have the benefit of hindsight, and so to does Tressel now, and now I can say I would have known what to do: go to university counsel. Tressel did not know exactly what to do, because there was no precedent. There is nothing in the NCAA handbook about how to handle potential violations that - if reported - could potentially hinder federal investigations and put your athletes in danger. But rest assured, there will be a guidline for that soon. Take it to the bank. Tressel should have gotten no worse than perhaps a fine from the University for not going to legal counsel, and a couple game suspension and probation from the NCAA for not better documenting and recording the timeline of things in preparation for the inevitable NCAA investigation once the Feds gave him the "all clear". The five-year show-cause he received his an absolute injustice.
Long live James Patrick Tressel. I hope that the Vest coaches again someday.
@Rational MFAN
Why do you think he and those guys were suspended? TP isn't revealing anything new except for giving the reason why he sold his awards for $3K. He can talk about it because it is common knowledge. He isn't dropping a dime on anyone
So, does that mean the 08-09 season should be vacated too? Not that I think vacating wins does anything. You guys still beat us in 2010.
@HUMBLE - Excellent.
I'll acknowledge, @rational, and @hail, that I am shocked that you two aren't so keen on tressel. Obviously I didn't expect you to come to his defense, and its only natural that you hate him, but I actually expected you all to say something along the lines of "I hated everything about him, but godamnit i'd love it if he were a michigan man." I had a completely neutral perspective about everything up until December of 2010 (I was not a college football fan, I am from NJ, I had no type of connection to OSU) when I decided on a whim to apply to OSU (on a side note: best decision of my life). My only exposure to college football/jim tressel was through sportscenter and watching maybe one or two marquee matchups per year (to my knowledge, this year was the first time I ever watched The game). I always thought of him as an upstanding guy; obviously I hadn't gone quite as in-depth, but I'm surprised that people outside of osu dislike him so much.
Other than that, I appreciate the opinions of all the commenters, as i try to work my way through my own thoughts about Mr. Tressel. Please keep adding thoughts, I'm very curious to see what everyone else thinks
Trust me, it is not because I am a Michigan fan that I am not a big fan of Tressel. Woody defines Ohio state and I respect him and think so highly of him as a man and coach that he was. Also, grateful to him for being half of the reason this rivalry is so special.
Well, here's a place I apparently disagree w/ the average Ohio State fan. I like Jim Tressel. He was a great coach and a better person. I still respect him. I don't believe he was cheating his way through the big ten for a decade. You can make mistakes and still be great man. And honestly, for every poorly written slander piece about him there are five stories of players standing up for him, or stories like the ones posted above. But he messed up, broke the rules (whether they are fair or not is a different discussion) and lost his job b/c of it. He deserved to be fired.
I love JT and am extremely greatful to have had him as tOSU's HC. He elevated the program and was the perfect guy for the job. It was very sad how it all ended, but as time goes by, his legacy will stand tall.
I think it's obvious that he was so spotless during most of his reign, that it did seem like a bigger deal than it would've been had it been a repeat offender.
But the guy doesn't need anyone to come to his aid. I've already seen him twice around Akron, and he's happy to help kids, and be a part of a community again. These people aren't judging him for what happens, because he's a great guy. Another coach would mope and take an NFL job, because they aren't satisfied, but Tressel is perfectly happy where he is, given the events that transpired. He doesn't need UM fans' little playground jabs at how "dirty" he is.
He doesn't need validation. He's got 10 years worth of Wolverine tears for that.
@Michigan fans. Please know that having endured the whole mess from Jan to Nov of last year...
There isn't a Buckeye on this site who doesn't know the opinion on JT of every non-Buckeye fan in the cfb-verse. Believe me, it was pounded and pounded and pounded and then pounded some more into every comment section of every new article about Tatgate, the COI hearing, the sanctions. We get it. You don't like him. Please heed Pam's advice.
@humble - thank you for posting that. That's how I feel.
Dan Wetzel published an article on Yahoo around the time the sanctions were released. Wetzel cited an anonymous coach of a BCS school "who he really respected" that said he would have done the same thing as Tressel. Wetzel speculates that if this anonymous coach would have done the same, then there are probably a lot of cfb coaches that would have been guilty of this "crime". Think about that Michigan fans. For the most part, this site was quiet during Rodriguez's violations. And we'll probably be silent during Hoke's (or whoever is after him) day in court as well.
This was petty shit for us to be raked over the coals. And if there was more to find, it would have been found. There were plenty of people in Columbus looking for it.
#fistpumpgobuckeyes
"Ed Martin was not a booster. He had no affiliation with Michigan. He lived in Southwest, Detroit and was there to help people. Was actually a pretty good guy."
Did Ed Martin help people who were not future NBA stars?
TheHumbleBuckeye: My compliments on an excellent post.
I'll always be thankful for JT's great service to OSU and the incredible 10-year run we fans enjoyed as a result of his leadership. IMO, it's a shame his career didn't end in a more dignified way. Go Bucks!
I don't think that what Rational or I said was out of line in any way. We both said we didn't like him because he OWNED Michigan, not because of anything that when on over the last 2 years, and that he was probably a good guy who just make a mistake. Also, saying that someone gives you the feeling that there's more than meets the eye isn't degrading, I hope. Hell, RichRod gave some looks and said some things that made me wonder if he even graduated HS. The only truly offensive things I would say about Tressel all involve sweater vests.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
@ hail I think you forgot about this little peice embeded in one of your comments..... "He just seemed too good to be true, and felt a little weasley to me. Did he just make a mistake with how he handled the situation a couple of years ago, or was his true self exposed? Who knows? " But im sure you ment well ;)
O H I O is the Buckeye State
Hail and Rational, I didn't find anything said "out of line" I can honestly understand the one "weasel" comment as well. I grew up in Youngstown, and watched Tress for many years before his tenure at TOSU. He always talked in a strange, brief, and slightly mysterious way. I was always left wondering what his tricky ass was really up to, So I can't blame you for wondering the same. That said, I love the guy, and always will. His problem has and always will be putting others before himself. He covered players when he felt they were justified. Was it against the rules..absolutely!! Did he deserve to be penalized?..Yes.. He never complained, and he moved on. I just can't seem to see how so many can turn on the man for doing what he thought was right..flawed or not..that's what we all teach our kids at some point.
"If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do... the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
-General George S. Patton
Honestly, he should have a much better legacy than Woody. Woody hit a player. To me that is much worse than anything JT did.
I wouldn't say JT's problem was putting others before himself. In fact, I would say the opposite, at least regarding this one incident.
Coach Tressel is great person and I will always remember him fondly. One of the nicest guys I've ever met. Many things went on behind the scenes that had him make the decision he made to withhold information from the NCAA. For that offense he paid the price and then some. When I think of Coach Tressel I'll think of 10 of the finest years in Ohio State Football history.
As excited as I am for the Meyer era, it still saddens me every time I think of Tressel's departure (and the manner thereof), and probably always will, especially the way that he has been villified in the media. As they say, "mistakes were made", and I don't think anyone, including JT, would dispute that. But to disparage a man's character over what was unquestionably a minor offense (to everyone but the NCAA, it seems, and thanks to Humble for laying out the facts) rankles me.
To call JT a hypocrite may be technically correct. He did not practice what he preached in this instance, whatever his reasons may have been. But who among us has lived up to his ideals 100% of the time? JT made a big mistake, and it ended up costing him big. Let's leave it at that and dispense with the assaults on his character, or at least leave them to the mainstream media with their papers/magazines/advertisements to sell.
The best of men are but men at best.
Tressel was a great man who did great things on and off the football field. The dude made a mistake. He lied to the NCAA. It's not some unforgivable thing. He is a human being.
Class of 2010.
Good man working in a business full of lies
When I think of Tressel, I certainly remember the good times. Sure, I also remember the bad times like the NC losses and an Offense that was often stagnant, but we had some good times. Of course, it also ended poorly, but I wish him the best.
With that said, I am looking forward to the Urban Era.
If you read They Call Me Assassin by Tatum and some ghostwriter who I can't remember now, Woody's sucker punch was routinely used on players in practice. The Bauman incident was just the only time that it was used publicly. The guy was a maniac, but still awe inspiring. It was a different era. So I try not to judge the guy too harshly. RIP you beautiful man.
@pam:
Ed Martin actually did help people who were not going to be future NBA stars. Detroit Southwestern was one of the powerhouses in Basketball, not only in Michigan but in the country. Alot of those kids grew up in poverty, as far as the basketball players went, Ed Martin was someone who bought those kids sneakers to play with and really helped the southwest Detroit community when he was able to. Alot, of them did not go on to the NBA. Mitch Albom and Jalen Rose testified to that in the FAB 5 documentary.
Also, Mitch Albom followed the fab 5 closer than anyone. He said, that these kids did not look like they were getting money from anyone. He said, the only time Webber looked like he had money was after he declared.
I will ALWAYS have love for JT and what he did for Ohio State! For anyone trying to throw him under the bus for telling a few lies and or not being completely honest with the NCAA needs to really get a life! Sure he helped stir up the media driven, over exagerrated tattoo scandal, but hey the guy is a good man and did wonders for our program. I didnt like the way he ran the offense and his performance in big out of conference games wasnt the best, but he was definitely one of the best we ever had.
HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA at C-Web not having money in college. Ask him yourself. Furthermore Ed Martin wasnt buying all kids in poverty stuff, just the kids who had talent in bball. For having the name Rational this is the first time ive seen you be UN-Rational
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
@HumbleBuckeye. Thank you for reiterating what I have been screaming from the top of my lungs since this whole affair began.
You will never convince me JT did what he did for any other reasons but for those articulated by Humble. Lest we forget he benched MoC for an entire season. If he were the 'win at all costs' guy he has been portrayed to be b/c of Tat-gate, that never would have happened.
I still struggle to wrap my head around a team not coached by JT. I went to the Gator Bowl this year and not seeing him on the sidelines was very surreal. I am excited to see where UFM can take this program. I will no doubt fall in love with his passion and intensity, but he will never replace JT in my heart.
The SweaterVest. The Senator. Sacred to me always.
Buckeye born and bred. Buckeye til I'm dead.
@angelhearts
Not only did he suspend MoC for an entire season, he suspended him before the NCAA even got involved. He also suspended Troy Smith before the NCAA got involved, leaving ONE QB on the depth chart for a bowl game. As it would later turn out, Troy was merely the middle man and that money was not intended for him, so he may have been found innocent of any infraction if they'd have let it play out. He also kicked prized recruit Eugene Clifford off of the team for infractions which most SEC schools would deem petty. Same for Antonio Henton. Wouldn't let Duron Carter come back either, despite how thin our receiving corps was.
MoC may have been the missing link in what could have been back-to-back national championships. He was a Heisman front runner coming into 2003. Yet Tressel never hesitated to suspend him before the NCAA ever got involved. It doesn't make sense that he would do this and then let Pryor skate on his infractions. Tressel has a long history of taking pre-emptive action against rules breakers. I don't understand why people do not give him the benefit of the doubt.
@angelhearts and humble
I too have never subscribed to the whole "win at all costs" mindset. JT's seat was one of he coldest in CFB. There was no reason to think that if he didn't win a NC his job was on the line. He had racked enough wins and good will that one off season was not going to doom him.
When I got the news of his resignation, I didn't think I could go to a game last season. The thought of JT not roaming the sidelines was unfathomable. But, as a lifelong Buckeye I knew I had to support Luke Fickell and the team. I have moved on but I will never get over it. The man gave me tickets to the '08 TTSUN in the 'Shoe for crying out loud. He will always have my respect and admiration. We were lucky beyond measure to have had him for as long as we did.
@Rational
Jalen Rose is also listed as an executive producer of your referenced Fab5 doc on ESPiN. Kinda makes the story a bit less "factual" in my opinion.
http://www.buckeyehousecall.com/2012-articles/may/jim-tressel-a-decade-of-greatness-in-pictures.html
Quality article about JT and his legacy