In its decision last Thursday to allow five Ohio State football players to play in the Sugar Bowl - despite suspending the same players for five games each for the 2011 season - the NCAA cited the fact that the players did not know they were breaking NCAA rules when they sold Ohio State player-only items to Columbus tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife.
(Tattooed Gibson was teammates with the guilty players)
From the NCAA release:
The decision from the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff does not include a withholding condition for the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The withholding condition was suspended and the student-athletes will be eligible to play in the bowl game Jan. 4 based on several factors.
These include the acknowledgment the student-athletes did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred, Lennon said.
NCAA policy allows suspending withholding penalties for a championship or bowl game if it was reasonable at the time the student-athletes were not aware they were committing violations, along with considering the specific circumstances of each situation.
Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith also made clear during a press conference to announce the NCAA penalties that his compliance staff had fell down on the job when it came to making it known to players that they couldn’t sell such items.
“We were not explicit with these young men that you could not resell items that we give you. We began to be more explicit in November 2009.”
On the same day Ohio State and the NCAA claimed OSU player ignorance of the rules, the Buckeye football player with the most tattoos on the team between 2007-09, Thaddeus Gibson, said that Ohio State football players during the time in question were repeatedly (explicitly) informed of the NCAA rule in question.
From a report assembled by Zack Meisel and James Oldham of the OHIO STATE LANTERN last Thursday and published early Friday:
The OSU players in questions are using a common answer, the same answer that Newton used in the midst of his scandal. Basically, they didn’t know they were in the wrong.
While it’s possible that the players are telling the truth, former Buckeye defensive starter and current San Francisco 49er Thaddeus Gibson said that they were told not to sell personal items fairly often. Gibson played for OSU from 2007-09.
“Oh yeah, they (OSU athletic director Gene Smith and the coaches) talked about it a lot,” Gibson said Thursday in a phone interview with The Lantern.
This would appear to contradict what Gene Smith said Thursday, unless those warnings didn’t start occurring until November 2009.
Wednesday I reported that multiple current Ohio State football players had gotten tattoos at the Fine Line Ink tattoo parlor in Columbus. I did not include Gibson at the time of that report because he was not a present member of the team.
That said, while he was a player at Ohio State, Gibson got tattoo work done at the same Fine Line Ink establishment that led to the subsequent suspensions of five current Ohio State players.
Gibson is the second Ohio State player to contradict statements made by Ohio State AD Smith. Also last Thursday, despite Smith assuring the media that the NCAA violations involving the tattoo parlor were “isolated”, former Buckeye Antonio Pittman Tweeted that OSU football players had been getting “hookups” on tattoos “since 2001″.
Follow Brooks on Twitter for real-time updates.
2:56 pm on December 26th, 2010
VN with the typical apologist nonsensical response.
3:43 pm on December 26th, 2010
If we are to believe that these players did not have reasonable knowledge of these rules as claimed by the Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith, then penalties should also be assesed to Ohio State. They should be handed down a fine by the NCAA. Since the stand to profit well over 1 million dollars from the bowl game in which these players are being allowed to play, I believe a fine of $10,000 per player might encourage them to make all their student athletes aware of NCAA rules and regulations.
3:57 pm on December 26th, 2010
If you have half a brain, you know that they knew.
3:58 pm on December 26th, 2010
It bothers me to hear student athletes complain that they have no money and do this to get by… Ohio State is a very expensive school to go to… If I was a student athlete and getting a full ride I would be very happy and keep my mouth shut… Think about all the other students working 2 part time jobs and summer jobs to pay their own way thru. If my son or daughter got this type of deal, I would be sending them a few bucks every month… Maybe we should take away all scholarship for sports…
4:04 pm on December 26th, 2010
its a joke cuz EVERY SCHOOL is and has been doing it fo years
4:11 pm on December 26th, 2010
Another file in the case of you play with fire you get burned. Jim Tressel for all that he has done right with Ohio State has burned himself yet again because of the athletes he has taken chances on. Now, don’t get me wrong, he is not the only coach who has problems and it is not squarely his fault, but at some point he has to step up and take some responsibilty for the Buckeyes problems. This is the second time that OSU has been investigated under his watch. Ohio State, I assume has decided that they are okay with this as long as the money keeps pouring in. Also, you can say goodbye to those seniors. Does anyone in their right mind think these guys are going to come back with no games under their belt and start facing stiff competition off the bat.
4:11 pm on December 26th, 2010
you cant tell me they didnt know with aj green from georgia getting suspended for 4 or 5 games this season for selling a jersey … and if they are are guilty now suspend them now
4:12 pm on December 26th, 2010
How many Buckeyes can we get to LIE at the same time?? What a joke. Players, coaches, administration, fans, the NCAA…………
Money and football far outweigh integrity in Columbus.
4:26 pm on December 26th, 2010
So, does this mean that Ridley at LSU will be able to play in the Cotton Bowl??? Certainly there isn’t a double standard!!! Rightttttttt.
4:58 pm on December 26th, 2010
NCAA rules clearly require the team and the athletic department of each school to provide an atmosphere of compliance with NCAA rules. The coaching staff and the athletic departments are required to hold training sessions on the rules that student athletes must follow.
So is the Athletic Director of Ohio State University admitting that his athletic department has failed in its requirements to inform the players? If so that constitutes a failure to provide an atmosphere of compliance and could result in OSU getting a multi-season suspension and loss of scholarships. It is one of the most serious possible infractions of NCAA rules.
I would advise the AD of OSU to shut up before he creates larger problems for the school than he already has. Apparently he must have actually attended Ohio State because he is dumb as a rock and the only thing he cares about is winning. Pretty much like everybody at OSU.
5:22 pm on December 26th, 2010
If this had been a school like penn state or pitt, they would not be aloud to play in a bowl game. there are double standards, some players and schools have to follow the rules and others dont.
5:33 pm on December 26th, 2010
Hate to brake it to you Patty but OSU is one of the top colleges in the country, maybe you are thinking back before the 2000’s but to get accepted now is quite difficult. Get a clue, players make a mistakes. They did not cheat to win, they sold property they received for winning. None of this should affect the OSU team, like probation or loss of scholarships. The suspensions are clearly in line with other past issues of the same kind. Actually maybe even harsher as they lose 5 games next year rather than 4 like A.J Green of Georgia for doing basically the same thing!
6:05 pm on December 26th, 2010
“Didn’t know the rules…”, Well coach, I just didn’t know I could receive payment for my things.
6:10 pm on December 26th, 2010
Tressel is a phony with his Born Again gig! He is a low life just like Pete “The Cheat” Carroll, The Shark, Pat Dye, Danny Ford, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer and O’brien!
6:13 pm on December 26th, 2010
But, but, but…..I know nothing. I did not know it was illegal to accept stolen goods. Don’t think flies with law enforcement. Ignorance is never an excuse unless you are the NCAA - a lame duck organization filling its pockets with cash money. The NCAA is also a $cam - just like Auburn. Once the gag orders are lifted by the FBI, The Barn will begin to burn some more. 2011 will be huge for The Barn regardless of the outcome on Jan. 10th. The gag orders lifted and public knowledge will TRUMP…I did not know. That lame defense is merely temporary.
6:18 pm on December 26th, 2010
OMG! Nobody seems to care so these reporters keep stiring the pot. After the sugar bowl ends this will all go away.
6:19 pm on December 26th, 2010
A top priority at any NCAA school is to make sure their athletes understand the NCAA rules (been there to confirm that) . Coaching staffs spend a great deal of time making sure players don’t negatively affect the program by breaking the NCAA rules. These players knew what they were doing was against the rules.
Allowing these players to play in the Sugar Bowl is a joke and reinforces that the NCAA is all about money (if there was any doubt).
If Coach Tressel has the integrity that we are led to believe, he should impose his own rule and declare them ineligible for post season play. But…that’s not going to happen. (Although, he would have a built in excuse when the Buckeyes lose another bowl game to an SEC school).
6:25 pm on December 26th, 2010
can all past ncaa cases be reopened and they can say we did not KNOW what a FREAKING JOKE first SCAM now this
6:40 pm on December 26th, 2010
they need to go back and suspend them from when they got the ink and then forfeit all of those games! Now they need to go back to 01 and forfeit all of those games and their national championship since mr pittman opened his mouth! Yes I am a buckeye as well!
6:55 pm on December 26th, 2010
Say it ain’t so. The worst possible insult you can use on the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, ohio st fans is that their athletes, and therefore their school, are just like all the other big football factory government schools. Why they think they are bama on saturday and harvard the rest of the week is beyond me. Just plain old average. Ouch. I know how that must hurt buckeyes.
7:14 pm on December 26th, 2010
Of course they knew but glad they delay the punishment as we would get treated to a shitty Sugar Bowl. Even if OSU sat them out and got pounded the conference will get the extra cash, so I am glad we get to see a game with both teams at full power.
7:15 pm on December 26th, 2010
Be careful with your quotes….libel suits wait for in accurate quotes.
7:18 pm on December 26th, 2010
You people need to get a CLUE! AJ Green sold his jersey to an AGENT people! AN AGENT! Wonder if that was part of some deal to represent him.
7:38 pm on December 26th, 2010
OK…. Heres the deal.
The guys did something really stupid. Got caught. Said they didn’t know. I doubt it, but who cares. No rear crime hear but lots of folks happy and having fun with this.
Heres what will happen. Lack of focus… loose the bowl game. Five guys turn pro. Get off to a slow start naxt year, finish OK. The following years, back to normal 11-1, 12-1 year after year and all others jealous.
7:44 pm on December 26th, 2010
If they broke the NCAA rules, then I guess they broke the rules. Of course that doesn’t mean ANY of these rules make sense.
My question is..and this is what doesn’t make sense to me- If they don’t own their own awards, why even bother giving them to them? The school, conference, or NCAA, should just hold onto the awards until their eligibility is used up or forfeited and then give them their rings and gold pants. Otherwise what’s the point of saying ” Here’s this ring you earned, but it’s not really yours. The NCAA owns this and all your personal belonging and market value related to your athletic accomplishments until you cease to be an NCAA athlete”?
Frankly, I think you should be able to sell anything that belongs to you- whether it’s personal affects, blood plasma, rings, sperm.. unless you don’t own it.. and I guess the NCAA owns them completely.
7:48 pm on December 26th, 2010
Can you say “lack of institutional control.” Too bad they didn’t inform (choke) the players. Don’t suspend the players, put OSU on probation.
7:52 pm on December 26th, 2010
If You Dont Own Your Own Stuff: As I remember it, any award or property given to an athlete remains property of the university until such time as the athlete leaves the program. AFAIC, the NCAA loses more credibility because of their ruling. Others who sold jerseys, rings, etc. suffered immediate game suspensions. Why the double standard? What kind of message does that send?..Oh yeah, the NCAA is all about making money!
7:54 pm on December 26th, 2010
Brad,
Ohio State was ranked #56 in the nation in the U.S. News and World Report U.S. College Rankings for 2011. This publication is widely recognized as one of the best rankings of colleges that is compiled. While you are correct in that Ohio State is now a respectable educational institution they still have a very very long way to go before they rank with Northwestern or Michigan in the Big Ten.
Even in the U.S. News ranking a good portion of the positives for the University revolve around non-educational factors such as athletics.
When comparing nationally ranked degree programs between Michigan and Ohio State you find this:
Michigan
——————-
Accounting: #6
Finance: #3
International Business: #4
Business Management: #1
Information Systems: #10
Marketing: #2
Production Management: #4
Quantitative Analysis: #7
Aerospace Engineering: #3
Biomedical Engineering: #7
Chemical Engineering: #10
Civil Engineering: #7
Computer Engineering: #7
Electrical Engineering: #6
Engineering Physics: #2
Environmental Engineering: #2
Industrial Engineering: #2
Materials Engineering: #2
Mechanical Engineering: #2
Ohio State
———–
Logistics: #5
Production Management: #9
Agriculture: #8
So if you want to be in logistics or raise cattle you should go to Ohio State. For pretty much everything else you should go to Michigan.
Oh, I forgot. If you want to play football and flaunt the rules you should go to Ohio State. They will punish you at Michigan for breaking the rules, but at Ohio State you only get a slap on the wrist.
9:14 pm on December 26th, 2010
It is all about MONEY. NCAA on the take, everybody knows it. No one wants to do anything about it.
9:31 pm on December 26th, 2010
tufflynx. I have both an undergraduate and an advanced degree fom two Ivy League schools so I guess that makes me pretty much superior to you in every way, wouldn’t you say. That would seem to be your position and it works for me if you feel strongly about it.
10:45 pm on December 26th, 2010
First of all I am one of those who believe some type of payments to players is the right thing to do as not only does football bring in huge sums of money, it also takes up an inordinate amount of their time and the rules prevent the players from seeking other employment. That said, selling items to a tattoo parlor for tattoos is in no way done to help anyone’s family. What a joke! However, the Big 10 has the money and influence (that’s why the BCS exists) and the ACC doesn’t (that’s why for doing the same thing North Carolina had its football season destroyed) and Ohio State is a powerful school in the Big Ten (that’s why Georgia’s best receiver had to pay an immediate penalty for selling his jersey while Ohio State players get to play in their bowl game). The NCAA is as big a joke as the BCS is and its about time people realized this and for those who think the kids are at least getting a good “free” education, think again, the Athletic department decides what they can and cannot take and if they attempt to take tough classes and study so they can pass so they will come out with a good education (which may mean they miss some (illegal) meetings or practices, they lose their scholarships. That is why you see so many communications majors on the football team, that is one of the few degrees they’re allowed to get. No mater what their race, color or creed, the NCAA and the schools, for the most part, treat them as animals in the zoo, there only to provide them with a very cheap means (cost versus income) of padding their pockets (I still think public audits should be held to find out where all the money is going since many schools say they lose money while taking in millions).
11:22 pm on December 26th, 2010
Tom, Your answer gives a partial clue as to why this happened at the time it did. Georgia is a very powerful school in football due to the SEC and Carolina is as well as the commisioner of the ACC John Swofford is the former athletic director @ UNC. The investigation of Ohio St in 2009 came out when reporters started asking random players what they thought of Cam Newton’s situation and a former Ohio St player said there was an investigation at Ohio St possibly linked to their QB. People started asking around enough for there to be smoke and then Carolina’s Dick Barddour approached Swofford and he along with several other commisioners asked what was going on and next thing you know the NCAA passed along the results. Partly because they didn’t want players to have to answer questions during media days at the bowl game but so fast they didn’t think about how to explain their decision properly and help Ohio St cover their own butts. Now they are stuck and it’s only gonna get worse. There are other situations with former players paying for current players to come workout with them at these speed and conditioning gyms. ESPN ran a story on Chris Johnson’s best friend who is currently in college and how they worked out together in the summer. Wonder who picked up that tab!
12:27 am on December 27th, 2010
AJ Green got 4 games for selling, these jokers get 5 for the same infraction plus one additional for not being forthcoming from the start. Arkansas is going to make them wish they were suspended for the Sugar Bowl. Get ready to TAT 0-10 on that dumb arse of your Buckeye$ !!!
1:02 am on December 27th, 2010
Let the parents give it to the tattoo artist for services rendered and the NCAA will not see a problem with it. Heck, Cam Newtons dad could have gotten a lot more value for it than they did.
2:01 am on December 27th, 2010
Why in the hell would you even want to sell your Big Ten Championship ring? Screw money…its a conference championship ring in the FBS from a BCS AQ school. This is ridiculous, “players don’t know the rules”…BS!!! They know the rules, and even if they don’t…suspend them now for the “crime” they committed, not next year. The fact that you are handing down a punishment that may not even affect some of the players is stupid. And screw the “if’s”…do something wrong in the real world and they send you to jail immediately. Go get a DUI and see if you don’t spend that night (at least) in jail. Go speed down a city road, and see if you don’t get a ticket right then. The NCAA is ridiculous!
6:56 am on December 27th, 2010
The reason they couldn’t sell their own items is that would be a perfect way for a college to give them a lot of money without a penalty, just crank out a lot of collectible items, give them to the players and let them sell them to fans. Pretty obvious why this is a rule. Any reasonably intelligent player would realize this.
7:31 am on December 27th, 2010
The way I see it, the NCAA has two real choices (neither of which they did). Either allow the schools to give out so much “player-only” merchandise and let them do what they want with it (you want a tatoo, fine), OR if there is a punishment do it effective immediately. Could you imagine our court system telling someone “Guilty of selling stolen property. Take your Vegas vacation, then come back and serve your sentence.” The OSU players should be suspended from the Sugar bowl. I’d say the same if it were players from WVU (my school).
8:04 am on December 27th, 2010
OSU might as well suspend them for the game. They are going to lose anyway. At least then, they can lose with integrity.
8:58 am on December 27th, 2010
Little sisters of the Poor - I guess they couldn’t afford their to pay for tats… This makes me want to give up on he whole system.
9:40 am on December 27th, 2010
I agree if they did something wrong punish them now I am a buckeye fan at that too. I seen where if their parents sold these same items it was alright, not the players. So with that when are you considered an adult..lol
10:19 am on December 27th, 2010
yeah, this is getting old and not really news anymore. If you can glorify a corrupt, dishonest, low-life like Cam Newton,, you can’t really punish Ohio State. It’s a business first, an educational program a distant second. An honest college athletic program wouldn’t bring in the same revenue. Money money, money!
Hey little Bobby! What do you want to be when you grow up? “I want to be a paid professional Student athlete”!
I’m proud of you son,, ain’t America great?
F*ck-it. I have lowered my standards and officially accepted it.
10:41 am on December 27th, 2010
Most Ohio State fans would prefer that the “Tat 5″ be suspended for the Sugar Bowl, rather than 5 games next year. It is extremely hard to root for guys who clearly have no respect for the Ohio State tradition as evidenced by the sale of what should be treasured mementos from their playing career.
11:36 am on December 27th, 2010
For Sale
Bowl rings by SEC players to OSU fans.
Imitation bowl rings won by OSU over SEC opponents.
Call BR-549
11:54 am on December 27th, 2010
I can’t believe that the NCAA is nit picking on these young men…there is plenty of bigger stuff for them to “conquer” !! Like getting a playoff system!! The only reason they’re letting them play is cuz the NCAA wants better games which equals more money for them!!
12:45 pm on December 27th, 2010
way to support your school T. Gibson you douchebag. You feel a need to get your name in the new’s seeing as your professional playing isn’t getting you there. Way to throw your old teammates and coaching staff under the bus. If the NCAA want’s to control what the players can and can’t sell they should have the schools keep everything until the players are no longer student athletes. Pack everything up in a nice box and hand it to them with their degree (if they stick around long enough to graduate) And for all of you who feel they should be shot for selling gold pants and rings sorry but 3 schools out of 11 get Big 10 Championship rings this year, doesn’t seem like something I would charish. And as far as the gold pants go I wonder how many of you that are floored that these players could part with these are the same people who have been complaining that the OSU mich. game isn’t what it used to be that its become just another game. Just saying
1:03 pm on December 27th, 2010
The entire thing is a joke. IF, and that is a big IF, players are not supposed to sell their trophy’s - then suspend them as soon as they get busted. AKA, now, meaning no bowl game.
The bigger issue IMHO is that they disrepected those awards to that extent. Pretty tough to get them in the first place, so they should cherish them - not degrade them.
OSU has a great program and tradition - it’s too bad they have those yahoo’s to represent them.
Being a Spartan fan, it’s tough to say the Buckeyes are good - but they are. In spite of self serving idiotic players!! Suspend them today if that is the rule.
1:06 pm on December 27th, 2010
Suspend them now along with Scam Newton. NCAA has become a joke along witht he bolw games. THis is a classic example of the NCAA in bed with major TV networks.
I am an OSU fan and I want these non-team players suspended. Let OSU play without them. Do not even take them to the Sugar Bowl, they do not deserve to go and they would likely sell their ring if they won it.
Get rid of them now! and do not help their NFL stats.
1:08 pm on December 27th, 2010
“The investigation of Ohio St in 2009 came out when reporters started asking random players what they thought of Cam Newton’s situation and a former Ohio St player said there was an investigation at Ohio St possibly linked to their QB”
The investigation started after the US Attorneys office raided the tattoo parlor and discovered the memorabilia and contacted Ohio State. That happened in early December. Also, there was no knowledge of the Cam Newton case until the 2010 season had already started.
1:24 pm on December 27th, 2010
THEY CHEATED AND SHOULD BE OUT OF THE BOWL GAME AND NEXT YEARS 1ST FIVE GAMES. THE SUCKEYES BLOW!!! THEY HAVE BEEN PAYING THESE MORONS FOR YEARS. T. GIBSON, GOOD FOR YOU, THEY DID KNOW! WELL, EXCEPT FOR T.P.( TOILET PAPER), HE’S TOO STUPID TO KNOW! HE’S LUCKY TO WALK AND TALK AT THE SAME TIME!
3:19 pm on December 27th, 2010
“The NCAA is as big a joke as the BCS is and its about time people realized this and for those who think the kids are at least getting a good “free” education, think again, the Athletic department decides what they can and cannot take and if they attempt to take tough classes and study so they can pass so they will come out with a good education (which may mean they miss some (illegal) meetings or practices, they lose their scholarships. That is why you see so many communications majors on the football team, that is one of the few degrees they’re allowed to get.”
These kids are already getting a scholarship to pay their tuition, getting a monthly stipend if they live off campus that’s usually more per month than they actually need, and you wanna pay them MORE money? What about all the other students on campus who AREN’T getting huge scholarships? What about the kids who have to work a couple part-time jobs during the school year and a full-time summer job to try to put themselves through college? What about the kids who are gonna have tens of thousands of dollars in debt when they graduate because they had to take out loans to get through college? If these football players are so hard up for money when they’re already receiving enough to pay tuition and most (if not all) of their monthly expenses, why can’t they apply for grants and loans like the rest of us? I can’t imagine they’d need much more in loan money than what they already get from scholarships and stipends, which will be a whole lot less debt to pay back than I already have (which is a lot less than the average college student). And if they’re good enough for the NFL it won’t take long for them to pay off those loans. And if not, well then at least they have a college degree with a whole lot less debt than most college graduates.
And as for that degree, I sure hope there are no schools that force their players to get certain degrees. If a kid wants to get a particular degree and his coach won’t let him, either he doesn’t care enough and one of those easy degrees really is for him, or he’ll transfer to a place where the coach WILL let him get the degree he wants. I know at Oregon, Joey Harrington was a music major his freshman year, then after realizing he really didn’t have the time for it (tough to put in all the individual work for football when you have to spend so much time practicing music, too), he switched to business, which still isn’t one of those “no-brainer athlete” degrees. And a few years later there actually was a backup running back who got a music degree as a vocalist.
4:03 pm on December 27th, 2010
Come on, they knew the rules just as newtons dad did and who cares now its all about the buck’s made. NCAA has lost all respect and they seem to select who has to obey the rules and who doesn’t because who will go with 5 OSU stars missing as well as Newton for AU. Kinda reminds me of American polotics
5:11 pm on December 27th, 2010
simple plan: ban the players, especially from the SEC. Start banning players from playing ever again, you’ll get the message across. athletes see themselves as gods and can’t do any wrong. Strike 1: suspend 3 conference games, strike 2: revoke scholarship indefinitely from current and all schools, strike 3: ban from playing NCAA ever again.
Players get too much lenience, especially in the Big 12 and the SEC. look at whats goin on with USC and Reggie Bush. You would never get that in the Big 12 and SEC! NEVER!
5:12 pm on December 27th, 2010
THE OBJECTS SOLD WERE GIFTS! YES THEY WERE THE PROPERTY OF THE PLAYERS,BUT AS IN MANY ASPECTS OF LIFE,GIFTS CAN COME WITH RESTRICTIONS. MANY BUSINESS GRANT STOCK OPTIONS OR ACTUAL SHARES .THESE CANNOT BE SOLD UNTIL A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME HAS PASSED. JERSEYS AND RINGS CANNOT BE SOLD WHILE THE PLAYER HAS ELIGIBILITY REMAINING. NOTHING UNUSUAL OR HARD TO UNDERSTAND!
5:16 pm on December 27th, 2010
hey Ralphie,
at WSU, the basketball coaches were tryin to force a new degree in the music department in guitar for Reggie Moore lol.
But 1 thing you have to remember, those scholarships are funded separately by boosters. You don’t like it, suck it up. Those kids could get those scholarships if they were good at a sport. Sports programs can do whatever they want with their money cause IT IS THEIR MONEY
And music isn’t a “no brainer” degree like you said. Try to do it for 1 year and I guarantee you will drop out, or go on academic probation with that mentality.
5:21 pm on December 27th, 2010
If you ask me it’s the NCAA that is a joke here. 5 games! Are you kidding me! Some of the NCAA rules just dont fit. It makes me laugh that someone in this thread said that Tressel took a chance on these kids! They didnt sell drugs, they didnt kill anyone, they didnt even attempt to harm anyone. They got some stuff for free and sold some other stuff. How many non-athlete students do that everyday? These kids have generated more than a few dollars for these schools to suspend them for any period of time. In this case, it’s the NCAA everyone should be looking down their nosese at, not these kids. Go Blue!
6:48 pm on December 27th, 2010
As Jim says, You cant punish the team by not letting them play. Ohio State the great rehabilitator. The other player put in lots of effort and it would be unfair to them if key players sat out.
Remember Maurice Clarett? He publicly stated he did not attend classes and others did not either. The whistle was blown by an assistant teacher. Wonder whatever happened to her?
8:02 pm on December 27th, 2010
topekabill…What? Football is a team game and when members of the TEAM do something outside the rules it DOES affect the team. Team is supposed to be about all for one and one for all. You actually think those guys give a hoot about anyone else but themselves? That’s exactly why so much emphasis is placed on knowing and understanding the rules. Your post seems to be eluding only to the upcoming Sugar Bowl game. What about the players being suspended for the first 5 games at the start of next season? Isn’t that punishing the team and all the other players who have worked so hard? Suspend them NOW, leave them back in Columbus, and petition the NCAA to limit the players suspension for next season to the first four games at the start of the season instead of five.
7:10 am on December 28th, 2010
Tis the season to be Scam Newton, falalalalalalalla, tis the season to be Pryor, Jersey, ring and awards you say, falalalallalaalalala. Now lie and say don’t know, filalalalallaalalalalla. tis the seaon to be a Junior, falalalalallalalalalalala.
2:57 pm on December 28th, 2010
To everybody saying that Ohio State should suspend them for the bowl game, they did. When it first found out about this Ohio State suspended all 5 and the NCAA came in and said no we’ll suspend them for the first 5 games of next year. All it does is ensure that 4 of the 5 will declare for the draft even though none of them are ready. What the players should’ve done was say that their parents did it and they had no idea what was going on. It worked for Cam Newton. My question is when you watch any kind of college basketball or football 80% of them have tats. And i don’t mean small tats. Where in the hell do they get the money for them? Ohio State is not the only college that players are doing this. When you see a college football player or basketball player with about $3000 worth of ink on him think to yourself, wonder how he can afford those?