During the break between the first and second quarters of Saturday’s Ohio State-Michigan game, the University recognized the 2002 National Championship team and its head coach, Jim Tressel. Tressel was hoisted onto the shoulders of his former players as the crowd at Ohio Stadium roared.
After the game, I was surprised to read some very harsh comments about this simple gesture. Fans of Michigan, Wisconsin, and other schools — many of whom think Ohio State’s domination of the Big Ten conference is the product of a dirty program that skirts the NCAA rules and cheats — depicted the ceremony as Ohio State thumbing its nose at the NCAA and displaying its contempt for the rules and sanctions that ultimately resulted in Jim Tressel’s resignation. I think that is a small, mean-spirited reaction to a desire to honor a storied Ohio State team on the 10th anniversary of its greatest achievement.
No one at Ohio State will forget how the Jim Tressel era ended — and I’m confident Coach Tressel won’t, either. That reality shouldn’t mean that we can’t remember the good moments of the Tressel era, too. There were many, and the 2002 National Championship is one of them. I’m glad the members of that team, and Coach Tressel as well, were saluted for their accomplishment.
I’m happy for Mr. Tressel (although I will always think of him as Coach Tressel) and I have no doubt that he will do a good job for one of Ohio’s largest universities. The NCAA “tattoogate” scandal that led to his resignation as Ohio State’s coach involved some unfortunate lapses in judgment on his part, but it shouldn’t mask his accomplishments with the Buckeyes. Tressel not only took a moribund football program and quickly turned it into a powerhouse, he also made tremendous progress in the academic performance of his student-athletes.
2011 was a year of embarrassments unparalleled in the history of OSU football. From the abrupt “retirement” of Jim Tressel in the face of an NCAA investigation, to the forfeiting of games, to the suspension of players for rules violations, to poor play, galling losses, and a crappy on-the-field record, and finally to the announcement of serious sanctions that include a one-year bowl ban, the Buckeyes and Buckeye Nation had to absorb a series of body blows throughout the year.
The story is based on an interview with Pryor’s attorney, who read a statement from the Ohio State quarterback. The attorney quoted the statement as saying: “In the best interest of my teammates, I have decided to forego my senior year of football at the Ohio State University.” It is not clear at this point whether the University has confirmed Pryor’s decision.
This news is immensely sad. Coach Tressel not only has been a highly successful coach, but also seems to be a good person who has done a lot for local charities and organizations. It is tragic — in the Greek sense of the term — that Coach Tressel must leave a position that he seemed born to fill, under a cloud of suspicion and the steady drip, drip, drip of troubling news about NCAA investigations and other issues involving the Ohio State football program and its players. The scuttlebutt is that the University strongly encouraged Coach Tressel to resign, which just makes the story that much sadder.
And now, Coach Tressel has responded. In a note she sent to Kish and me this week, she reported that Coach Tressel sent her a card and wrote: “Bebe, you are the best. We will grow from this adversity. God bless you and yours. Sincerely, Jim Tressel.” Aunt Bebe adds: “P.S. He had my day!” I have to believe that Buckeye Bebe’s unflinching encouragement and backing has helped to make Coach Tressel’s day, too.
The Columbus Dispatch story linked above quotes Coach Tressel as saying in a statement: “Throughout this entire situation my players and I have committed ourselves to facing our mistakes and growing from them; we can only successfully do that together. Like my players, I am very sorry for the mistakes I made. I request of the university that my sanctions now include five games so that the players and I can handle this adversity together.”
