In many ways, this represents a degree of closure for me, and others like me that never liked/trusted Ohio State. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that Ohio State is guilty of egregious criminal acts, or is comporting themselves as immoral charlatans who are poisoning the landscape for the rest of college football. Far from it actually.
The acts themselves (free cars, tattoos, money, weed, and the coach/university doing nothing to stop it), are not even close to the worst things I've heard of going on within a major college football program. This is hardly similar to the rapes and domestic abuse that went on during the 90's Nebraska Cornhuskers back to back championship runs, for example. This has much more to do with Tressel finally being exposed for the creep that he is and always has been.
If you've read my blog before, you know I've pointed out that Tressel is as dirty a head coach as you will find in college athletics. I've always known he's been dirty since his days at Youngstown State. Now thanks to Sports Illustrated, we now know he's been dirty going all the way back to his days as an assistant with the Buckeyes in the mid-80's, where he was known to commit NCAA Violations at Football Camps. He's had various forms of trouble snowball for him during his 10 year run in Columbus, often manifesting itself in the form of Maurice Clarett, Troy Smith, and Terelle Pryor among others. Yet despite all the turmoil, he's always been held in high esteem by the Buckeye Faithful.
Why has he always maintained this level of idolatry among Buckeye Nation? The simplest answer would be because he beats Michigan every year, annually has his team in the National Championship hunt, and has won a Championship under his watch, but I don't believe it's that simple. I think there is something deeper and uglier that would be the main reason why. That reason is his self-cloaking of divinity.
Jim Tressel has literally flaunted his supposed Christianity on his sweater-vest the entire time he's been in Columbus. He's written two books during this time:
1. The Winners Manual: For The Game Of Life
2. Life Promises For Success: Promises from God on Achieving Your Best
I can't make that up! I can't claim I've read either book, but I would bet there's not a chapter either one that covers lying at every possible chance to get out of trouble?
Lying, after all, was Tressel's undoing. He lied at every possible chance there was to lie about this. First he lied to the NCAA by saying he didn't know about the tats-for-gear scandal until November. Then he lied to the Ohio State Athletic Director and The Ohio State University President by not immediately reporting these potential violations to his superiors when notified - (he's required to report them as per NCAA rules). He also lied when he said he didn't know who to report this to, because he notified Terelle Pryor's "mentor" (read agent) as soon as Pryor's name was mentioned to Tressel. For a man who literally preaches honesty and integrity, these are hardly actions that could be considered "Christian".
The question on most people's minds now is whether or not this was a Tressel Problem, or an Ohio State Lack Of Institutional Control problem? The fact that Ohio State allowed Tressel to resign, rather than outright fire him, is smoking-gun proof that this is an Ohio State Problem. The Car Dealership's "friendly" relationship with the Ohio State football program goes all the way back to Woody Hayes. Ohio State also has the biggest Athletic Department Budget of any school in the country with numbers approaching $60 million annually. Considering those facts, it's a pretty safe bet that whomever Ohio State ends up hiring to be Tressel's full time replacement, will not be a man hired to clean up the program.
None of that matters though, as the chickens have finally come home to roost for Tressel. Ole Jim is yet another example of it being pretty easy to be a Jesus-Freak when you're winning, but it's a bit harder to turn the other cheek when you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Personally, I take a lot of pride in watching Tressel burn, simply because he's another one of these reprehensible assholes that exploits peoples religious beliefs for his own personal and financial gain.
Somehow I don't think his book covers that life lesson however...
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