The fall of the state of Ohio
The Down Fall for the Ohio State football team seems to have new updates daily. Certainly things were not done well, and all this could have been avoided. However, you have to wonder if Coach Treassel wasn’t viewed with such respect, his resignation would be necessary. Dignity, honesty, respect were all the words people used to describe Tressel and I think that view of him was too high for anyone, let alone a college coach.
Coach Treassel was a beloved figure of the Buckeye nation, and if he could continue his career at Ohio State, he could very well be in the same light as Archie Griffin and Woody Hayes, Eddie George. It’s an unfortunate outcome not only for the team, the college and the man, but for college football in a hole.
So today the news that ESPN has filed a lawsuit against the University for failing to release information about the NCAA investigation only brings them more bad publicity. Also remember that this is just one day after Ohio State lost a prized recruit to rival Michigan, Kyle Kalis.
It may not be the end of the world, but it’s a big deal. The state of Ohio with questions about who will be the coach of the future and what penalties will be placed on them, cannot afford to lose control of Ohio recruiting or the upper level classes.
Mike Vrabel, Kansas City linebacker and former Ohio State standout, announced he was retiring from the NFL and becoming the linebackers coach at Ohio State University, which is a huge move. He is intense and loved by fans. They have also vacated all the victories of the last few seasons. What’s next! There is a lot of talk out there that they are going to receive a firm punishment, worse than the one USC received, that is absurd! The Ohio State violation, while bad, was not as bad as the USC violation. USC was giving out cash to buy houses that they had direct involvement in their violations. While OSU was indirect, it had no part in what the student-athlete did, although it did lie and did not inform the appropriate party.
Honestly, I think with OSU losing their coach, QB, the 5-game suspensions, last year’s wins and bowl game overturned, all they’re going to get is they won’t be eligible for a bowl game this year, and possibly to go to all wins. They could lose some recruits and will be on probation for a while, but Ohio State will be back in a bowl game next season, just hope they don’t lose too many recruits from time to time.