Ohio State has suspended coach Jim Tressel for the first two games of the 2011 season and also fined the Buckeyes coach $250,000 for failing to disclose prior knowledge about his players’ involvement in a memorabilia scheme with a Columbus businessman.
Jim Tressel and Ohio State could be penalized further by the NCAA.
Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that Tressel had received information that quarterback Terrelle Pryor and other players were selling items to Edward Rife – the owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus – as early as April 2010. Tressel admitted Tuesday that he had indeed withheld information about his players’ involvement in the scheme – something the university discovered on Jan. 13 when reviewing files for an unrelated matter.
Athletic director Gene Smith said Ohio State self-reported a 10.1 unethical conduct infraction to the NCAA in February, shortly after discovering Tressel’s omission.
“I’m disappointed this happened at all,” Tressel said in a news conference which included Smith and Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. “I take responsibility for what we do at Ohio State tremendously seriously. Obviously I plan to grow from this. I’m sincerely saddened by the fact that I let some people down and that I didn’t do some things as well as I could possibly do.”
The NCAA, which considers such a violation major, issued a statement that read: “We appreciate Ohio State University’s prompt response regarding this issue and we are committed to continuing our cooperative investigation.”
Tressel’s suspension and fine account for Ohio State’s self-imposed sanctions for the coach’s ethical conduct violation. He will also receive a public reprimand and must make a public apology. However, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions could choose to stiffen those penalties with a more lengthy suspension or other potential sanctions.
Emails released by Ohio State revealed that in April, Tressel was notified by an attorney that several of his players were selling memorabilia to Rife, who was under federal investigation. Tressel said he was “scared” for his players after receiving the emails and felt compelled to keep the correspondence private despite the informant – who Tressel said was not a federal attorney – failing to request confidentiality until their second exchange. Tressel also said he was confused about who he could reveal the information to.
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Jim Tressel and Ohio State could be penalized further by the NCAA.
Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that Tressel had received information that quarterback Terrelle Pryor and other players were selling items to Edward Rife – the owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus – as early as April 2010. Tressel admitted Tuesday that he had indeed withheld information about his players’ involvement in the scheme – something the university discovered on Jan. 13 when reviewing files for an unrelated matter.
Athletic director Gene Smith said Ohio State self-reported a 10.1 unethical conduct infraction to the NCAA in February, shortly after discovering Tressel’s omission.
“I’m disappointed this happened at all,” Tressel said in a news conference which included Smith and Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. “I take responsibility for what we do at Ohio State tremendously seriously. Obviously I plan to grow from this. I’m sincerely saddened by the fact that I let some people down and that I didn’t do some things as well as I could possibly do.”
The NCAA, which considers such a violation major, issued a statement that read: “We appreciate Ohio State University’s prompt response regarding this issue and we are committed to continuing our cooperative investigation.”
Tressel’s suspension and fine account for Ohio State’s self-imposed sanctions for the coach’s ethical conduct violation. He will also receive a public reprimand and must make a public apology. However, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions could choose to stiffen those penalties with a more lengthy suspension or other potential sanctions.
Emails released by Ohio State revealed that in April, Tressel was notified by an attorney that several of his players were selling memorabilia to Rife, who was under federal investigation. Tressel said he was “scared” for his players after receiving the emails and felt compelled to keep the correspondence private despite the informant – who Tressel said was not a federal attorney – failing to request confidentiality until their second exchange. Tressel also said he was confused about who he could reveal the information to.
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