Tressel Resigns
May 30, 2011 7:58 AM Subscribe
Jim Tressel, one of the most successful college football coaches in history, has resigned as coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. After several players were discovered to have traded Ohio State football memorabilia for tattoos (actions which represent NCAA violations), it was revealed that Tressel knew of the player's actions and attempted to conceal the information from investigators. Though Tressel often projected a squeaky clean, conservative image, detractors have often accused him of hypocrisy.
This is the kind of news that makes grown men sob uncontrollably. People in Ohio: stock up on non-perishables and start barricading your house with sandbags. Your state is about to flood.
posted by phunniemee at 8:03 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 8:03 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Months too late.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 8:10 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 8:10 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
The whole college sports thing is just so dumb. I mean here we have talented people basically being required to work for free, while producing a ton of economic value for the school. Is it any surprise that they are going to find ways to get compensated?
90% of the 'ethical rules' put down by the NCAA are actually just rules put in place to make sure the universities get all the economic benefit.
The whole thing is moronic.
posted by delmoi at 8:13 AM on May 30, 2011 [10 favorites]
90% of the 'ethical rules' put down by the NCAA are actually just rules put in place to make sure the universities get all the economic benefit.
The whole thing is moronic.
posted by delmoi at 8:13 AM on May 30, 2011 [10 favorites]
Think this is bad? There are still folks upset that legendary OSU coach Woody Hayes was fired by the president of the university....for slugging a player in the face.
posted by availablelight at 8:20 AM on May 30, 2011
posted by availablelight at 8:20 AM on May 30, 2011
It's the NCAA and the Colleges who are the hypocrites, per what delmoi said.
posted by dry white toast at 8:20 AM on May 30, 2011
posted by dry white toast at 8:20 AM on May 30, 2011
There are so many levels of stupid to this story:
posted by dirigibleman at 8:21 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
- That the players trade memorabilia for tattoos.
- That this is considered actionable by the NCAA.
- That the supposedly most ethical coach in college football would cover this up.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:21 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
Maybe he can get a job with Rich Rodriguez doing a point-counterpoint talk show on ESPN.
posted by ardgedee at 8:25 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by ardgedee at 8:25 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
The whole college sports thing is just so dumb. I mean here we have talented people basically being required to work for free, while producing a ton of economic value for the school. Is it any surprise that they are going to find ways to get compensated?
90% of the 'ethical rules' put down by the NCAA are actually just rules put in place to make sure the universities get all the economic benefit.
The whole thing is moronic.
On the flip side, football players do make some money (Arkansas players, for example, can get ~$17k a year). They're in about the same pay scale as grad students, who are also talented people producing a ton of economic value for the school.
posted by miguelcervantes at 8:27 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
90% of the 'ethical rules' put down by the NCAA are actually just rules put in place to make sure the universities get all the economic benefit.
The whole thing is moronic.
On the flip side, football players do make some money (Arkansas players, for example, can get ~$17k a year). They're in about the same pay scale as grad students, who are also talented people producing a ton of economic value for the school.
posted by miguelcervantes at 8:27 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
It's never the crime. It's always the cover-up that gets you.
Thankfully, MetaFilter has taught me how to dispose of a body.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:27 AM on May 30, 2011 [7 favorites]
Thankfully, MetaFilter has taught me how to dispose of a body.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:27 AM on May 30, 2011 [7 favorites]
Not since Promise Keeper Bill McCartney guided his Colorado rape train to a fraudulent National Championship in 1990 has college football had such a strong, upstanding conservative Christian presence.
You will be missed, Jim
posted by jcking77 at 8:28 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
You will be missed, Jim
posted by jcking77 at 8:28 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Vest in Peace
posted by robot at 8:34 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by robot at 8:34 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
For a not-so-subtle commentary on NCAA rules, check out the most recent episode of South Park, Crack Baby Athletic Association.
posted by phunniemee at 8:34 AM on May 30, 2011
posted by phunniemee at 8:34 AM on May 30, 2011
I vote we change the school song to fit our school's new outlook,
Oh come let's sing the dollar's praise
And songs to endless growth raise
While our integrity wanes
With US News Rankings nurtured
NCAA's heat or Gee's slow cold
The scandals pass, a few heads will roll
But time and "change" will surely show
How firm thy greed ... OHIO!
posted by Blasdelb at 8:46 AM on May 30, 2011
Oh come let's sing the dollar's praise
And songs to endless growth raise
While our integrity wanes
With US News Rankings nurtured
NCAA's heat or Gee's slow cold
The scandals pass, a few heads will roll
But time and "change" will surely show
How firm thy greed ... OHIO!
posted by Blasdelb at 8:46 AM on May 30, 2011
"Think this is bad? There are still folks upset that legendary OSU coach Woody Hayes was fired by the president of the university....for slugging a player in the face."
Think that's bad? He hasn't apologized to the player to this day and we're still naming shit after him.
I know faculty who remember when he was coach, players fulfilled all the stereotypes one can imagine about massive, stupid, drunken entitled assholes who would get bailed out no matter how bad they got. The shit apparently continues under the Bruce and Cooper years, though to a lesser extent. If I have one good thing to say about Tressel, its that he clearly turned that around dramatically. OSU football players have an amazing reputation among TAs for getting good grades, earning them, and generally being awesome students.
posted by Blasdelb at 9:04 AM on May 30, 2011
Think that's bad? He hasn't apologized to the player to this day and we're still naming shit after him.
I know faculty who remember when he was coach, players fulfilled all the stereotypes one can imagine about massive, stupid, drunken entitled assholes who would get bailed out no matter how bad they got. The shit apparently continues under the Bruce and Cooper years, though to a lesser extent. If I have one good thing to say about Tressel, its that he clearly turned that around dramatically. OSU football players have an amazing reputation among TAs for getting good grades, earning them, and generally being awesome students.
posted by Blasdelb at 9:04 AM on May 30, 2011
To be fair, Woody Hayes died in 1987, so that apology will be a long time coming.
posted by ofthestrait at 9:18 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by ofthestrait at 9:18 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Conspiracy, criminal behavior, unethical morals, IN COLLEGE SPORTS. How shocking. *sigh.
posted by Fizz at 9:23 AM on May 30, 2011
posted by Fizz at 9:23 AM on May 30, 2011
Tainted players, tainted coach, tainted victories - OSU
posted by caddis at 10:02 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by caddis at 10:02 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Wouldn't it just be better to spin these teams and their association off as for-profit businesses and stop pretending that they have anything at all to do with the mission of an actual university?
posted by 1adam12 at 10:06 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by 1adam12 at 10:06 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
Wouldn't it just be better to spin these teams and their association off as for-profit businesses and stop pretending that they have anything at all to do with the mission of an actual university?
Nope, that's why we have the NFL.
posted by Fizz at 10:07 AM on May 30, 2011
Nope, that's why we have the NFL.
posted by Fizz at 10:07 AM on May 30, 2011
Tainted players, tainted coach, tainted victories - OSU
I tend to think that's not just OSU, but rather every major DI team- it's just a matter of who gets caught. What's the saying, "You're not trying if you're not cheating"
posted by jmd82 at 10:11 AM on May 30, 2011
I tend to think that's not just OSU, but rather every major DI team- it's just a matter of who gets caught. What's the saying, "You're not trying if you're not cheating"
posted by jmd82 at 10:11 AM on May 30, 2011
As a Michigan alum who realizes that corruption is rampant in college sports, that Tressel is just one of many coaches covering up violations, and that the current system that insufficiently rewards players for the economic value they provide to their schools is unsustainable, I have only this to say: Fuck Jim Tressel, and Fuck OSU.
posted by bbuda at 10:15 AM on May 30, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by bbuda at 10:15 AM on May 30, 2011 [4 favorites]
I give college ball only about a decade anyway.
The brain injury thing will kill high school football, and college ball will perforce wither (and pro ball).
Fancy helmets that reduce the risk of concussion (if they even work) aren't going to do the trick, either. Recent studies show that better body armor is necessary to reduce brain injury from exposure to explosions:
Stronger and tougher body armor to shield the chest, abdomen and back may better protect soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) tied to so-called "shell shock," a new study suggests [Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 70 (5): 399-416].
The mild trauma - resulting from the initial shock of exploding mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - now accounts for more than 80 percent of all brain injuries among U.S. troops. Approximately 160,000 veterans are estimated to have sustained this kind of trauma.
I think this means routine football hits will produce the same kinds of problems, and if you can imagine good football without hits, you're a better man than I am.
posted by jamjam at 10:35 AM on May 30, 2011
The brain injury thing will kill high school football, and college ball will perforce wither (and pro ball).
Fancy helmets that reduce the risk of concussion (if they even work) aren't going to do the trick, either. Recent studies show that better body armor is necessary to reduce brain injury from exposure to explosions:
Stronger and tougher body armor to shield the chest, abdomen and back may better protect soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) tied to so-called "shell shock," a new study suggests [Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 70 (5): 399-416].
The mild trauma - resulting from the initial shock of exploding mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - now accounts for more than 80 percent of all brain injuries among U.S. troops. Approximately 160,000 veterans are estimated to have sustained this kind of trauma.
I think this means routine football hits will produce the same kinds of problems, and if you can imagine good football without hits, you're a better man than I am.
posted by jamjam at 10:35 AM on May 30, 2011
I give college ball only about a decade anyway.
The brain injury thing will kill high school football, and college ball will perforce wither (and pro ball).
I've got 9 billion, 757 million reasons why you're wrong.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:49 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
The brain injury thing will kill high school football, and college ball will perforce wither (and pro ball).
I've got 9 billion, 757 million reasons why you're wrong.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:49 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
As a Michigan alum who realizes that corruption is rampant in college sports, that Tressel is just one of many coaches covering up violations, and that the current system that insufficiently rewards players for the economic value they provide to their schools is unsustainable it has been 2746 days since Michigan's last victory over Ohio State in football, I have only this to say: Fuck Jim Tressel, and Fuck OSU.
ftfy
I'm hopeful that this will at least help make the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry interesting again, if Michigan's new coach doesn't turn out to be a colossal dipshit like his predecessor. I'd have never thought that watching the Buckeyes humiliate the Wolverines on the football field year in and year out could ever become boring.
As a Buckeye, I'm sad to see Tressel go because he did great things for the program. But they don't call him Senator Tressel for nothing. It was a silly transgression that led to his downfall, but there's likely much more under the surface. Nature of the beast, maybe, but when you profess to hold yourself to a higher standard it's going to be ugly when the veil drops. I am glad to see DeSales grad Luke Fickell at the helm, at least temporarily.
posted by Balonious Assault at 11:03 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
ftfy
I'm hopeful that this will at least help make the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry interesting again, if Michigan's new coach doesn't turn out to be a colossal dipshit like his predecessor. I'd have never thought that watching the Buckeyes humiliate the Wolverines on the football field year in and year out could ever become boring.
As a Buckeye, I'm sad to see Tressel go because he did great things for the program. But they don't call him Senator Tressel for nothing. It was a silly transgression that led to his downfall, but there's likely much more under the surface. Nature of the beast, maybe, but when you profess to hold yourself to a higher standard it's going to be ugly when the veil drops. I am glad to see DeSales grad Luke Fickell at the helm, at least temporarily.
posted by Balonious Assault at 11:03 AM on May 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
If you look at it economically from afar, you say here’s an organization that, in the name of amateurism, has imposed a plethora of restrictions, a large number of which seem to be consistent with trying to maximize the economic return that the schools get. ... In practice, the NCAA functions as a trade association for the athletic directors and the coaches and the conference commissioners. - Andrew Zimablist, sports economist
posted by AceRock at 11:05 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by AceRock at 11:05 AM on May 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Having grown up in Ann Arbor, but not gone to U of M, I'm suddenly happy but for reasons I don't understand.
posted by klangklangston at 12:27 PM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by klangklangston at 12:27 PM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
I grew up in Los Angeles planning to go to USC, and then I moved to Ohio in high school and went to OSU.
Suffice to say that I'm hoping this means I can start waking up to good news on my freaking Twitter feed again.
posted by SMPA at 4:01 PM on May 30, 2011
Suffice to say that I'm hoping this means I can start waking up to good news on my freaking Twitter feed again.
posted by SMPA at 4:01 PM on May 30, 2011
The SI article just landed : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/magazine/05/30/jim.tressel/index.html
posted by suckerpunch at 6:04 PM on May 30, 2011
posted by suckerpunch at 6:04 PM on May 30, 2011
(Sorry for forgetting to format that link correctly - clicky-type link HEAH. Too busy reading 'n all.)
posted by suckerpunch at 6:06 PM on May 30, 2011
posted by suckerpunch at 6:06 PM on May 30, 2011
Just for a fun fact: public university football coaches are the highest paid government employees in the U.S. This year, Jim Tressel was the sixth highest-paid of all of them.
posted by Navelgazer at 6:15 PM on May 30, 2011
posted by Navelgazer at 6:15 PM on May 30, 2011
Just finished the article that suckerpunch linked.
tl;dr -- Tressel's programs have always attracted boosters who slipped kids a few bucks here and there. He managed to convince every investigator who ever came after him that he knew nothing.
And as the NCAA said to USC very, very recently: "That shit don't fly anymore. You should have known."
(Also, it appears that he rigged raffles at summer camps when he was an assistant coach, which is just sad.)
posted by Etrigan at 6:36 PM on May 30, 2011
tl;dr -- Tressel's programs have always attracted boosters who slipped kids a few bucks here and there. He managed to convince every investigator who ever came after him that he knew nothing.
And as the NCAA said to USC very, very recently: "That shit don't fly anymore. You should have known."
(Also, it appears that he rigged raffles at summer camps when he was an assistant coach, which is just sad.)
posted by Etrigan at 6:36 PM on May 30, 2011
Man, just pay college football and basketball players. This week's South Park was remarkably on-point.
posted by stratastar at 7:40 PM on May 30, 2011
posted by stratastar at 7:40 PM on May 30, 2011
From the SI article:
Halko says those working in the shop preferred receiving items with multiple autographs. His most memorable acquisition was a scarlet-and-gray training jacket with between 10 and 15 signatures on it, including Tressel's.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:04 PM on May 30, 2011
Halko says those working in the shop preferred receiving items with multiple autographs. His most memorable acquisition was a scarlet-and-gray training jacket with between 10 and 15 signatures on it, including Tressel's.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:04 PM on May 30, 2011
I made the mistake of driving into Columbus on a lovely Saturday when Michigan was in town.
Me and my stupid Ohio librul arts college.
posted by bardic at 8:43 PM on May 30, 2011
Me and my stupid Ohio librul arts college.
posted by bardic at 8:43 PM on May 30, 2011
I will preface this by saying I Am Not an Economist: Everyone talks about the value these players bring to the university compared to what they receive from the school, but I wonder if the more telling number isn't the value these guys might command on the open football market. For instance, in May 2009, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was a junior, receiving a tuition/stipend package from the school worth, I'm guessing, about $50,000 per year. In May 2010 he signed an NFL contract that will pay him a guaranteed $50 million a year over six years, or $8.3 million per year. Assume for argument's sake that a player's market value rises 20% per year. So, back of a napkin, Sam Bradford was worth about $6.6 million on the open football market in May 2009—about 133 times what he was receiving from Oklahoma. (And in fact, if he had declared for the draft in 2009, he might have received that type of money.)
As noted above, the market will try to find a way to compensate these guys. The solution could be something like college baseball—say a draft out of high school that allows players to sign pro contracts. NFL teams pay players whatever they see fit during their college days, then can bring them up to the pro team after two, three or four years, or cut them and let them sign with whomever. The NFL, of course, would never go for something like this, because colleges operate as a de facto free minor league for the pros. But anything's better than the current system, which is both corrupt and unfair to players.
posted by stargell at 8:52 PM on May 30, 2011
As noted above, the market will try to find a way to compensate these guys. The solution could be something like college baseball—say a draft out of high school that allows players to sign pro contracts. NFL teams pay players whatever they see fit during their college days, then can bring them up to the pro team after two, three or four years, or cut them and let them sign with whomever. The NFL, of course, would never go for something like this, because colleges operate as a de facto free minor league for the pros. But anything's better than the current system, which is both corrupt and unfair to players.
posted by stargell at 8:52 PM on May 30, 2011
The NFL, of course, would never go for something like this, because colleges operate as a de facto free minor league for the pros.
Compare and contrast: the Lionel Messi story:
"The doctor back in Rosario had prescribed him growth hormones, without which, the doctor said, he would never reach above five feet. The treatment cost $900 a month, and in Argentina that was a working-class wage. His father, a steelworker, thought that, with Leo’s talent, there must surely be a football club willing to share the costs. They couldn’t find one anywhere in Argentina. An agent organised a trial in Barcelona. (...) Because Rexach had no other paper to hand, Barça gave Messi a contract on a paper napkin. At the age of 13, Leo Messi began to support his entire family", as a member of FC Barcelona's youth academy:
"Interestingly, comparatively little time is spent playing football: training takes around 90 minutes a day, with a 90-minute game at the weekend – half the time, Folguera says, spent by top youth academies in England. The rest is spent on education and a few leisure activities, with the idea being that given about 10 per cent of La Masia make it to the senior team (although another nine per cent play in first division sides worldwide), the years spent there for those fail to make the grade are not wholly wasted.
"One of the things that makes me proudest is that so many of our young players have university educations," Folguera points out. "In England, when a team selects a young talent, they don't take care of that side of things. We aren't just there to teach them football, we're there to educate them. "From 11 to 18 La Masia is their home, we have to get to know them and teach them, be their family."
posted by iviken at 4:20 PM on May 31, 2011
Compare and contrast: the Lionel Messi story:
"The doctor back in Rosario had prescribed him growth hormones, without which, the doctor said, he would never reach above five feet. The treatment cost $900 a month, and in Argentina that was a working-class wage. His father, a steelworker, thought that, with Leo’s talent, there must surely be a football club willing to share the costs. They couldn’t find one anywhere in Argentina. An agent organised a trial in Barcelona. (...) Because Rexach had no other paper to hand, Barça gave Messi a contract on a paper napkin. At the age of 13, Leo Messi began to support his entire family", as a member of FC Barcelona's youth academy:
"Interestingly, comparatively little time is spent playing football: training takes around 90 minutes a day, with a 90-minute game at the weekend – half the time, Folguera says, spent by top youth academies in England. The rest is spent on education and a few leisure activities, with the idea being that given about 10 per cent of La Masia make it to the senior team (although another nine per cent play in first division sides worldwide), the years spent there for those fail to make the grade are not wholly wasted.
"One of the things that makes me proudest is that so many of our young players have university educations," Folguera points out. "In England, when a team selects a young talent, they don't take care of that side of things. We aren't just there to teach them football, we're there to educate them. "From 11 to 18 La Masia is their home, we have to get to know them and teach them, be their family."
posted by iviken at 4:20 PM on May 31, 2011
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posted by Blasdelb at 8:01 AM on May 30, 2011 [2 favorites]