TOO MUCH BAGGAGE, TOO MANY LIES, TRESSEL OUT AT OHIO STATE, BACKLASH TO NFLCA'S LEGAL BRIEF & SOME THOUGHTS ON MEMORIAL DAY
I said for weeks after "Tattoo-Gate" broke, Jim Tressel wouldn't survive at Ohio State, he didn't. In an attempt to "fly under the radar" on a holiday weekend, the University asked for & received Tressel's resignation earlier today. This is a popular P.R. move, release bad news when people aren't paying attention, that way your aren't the lead story everywhere, people are doing other things on a holiday weekend. This particular strategy has been chosen tactic of our congress for years, wait till Friday night to dole out bad or unpopular news, sort of gets it buried over the weekend.
Tressel was essentially out before he even heard from University officials. They had an "emergency meeting" Sunday & when the coach returned from vacation late last night, he was told of their conclusion, he had to go now. They asked for his resignation & today it was announced Coach "Sweater Vest" was no longer employed by Ohio State.
Luke Fickell, the assistant named as his interim coach while Tressel was supposed to serve his 5-game suspension, will take the helm for the entire 2011 season. After that, who knows? I doubt he will be the head coach in 2012, zero recruiting impact will be the main reason. The only thing that could change that is the pending August 12th NCAA hearing on all the charges that caused Tressel's ouster. If the Buckeyes receive sanctions & penalties similar to the ones handed out for USC, the University might wait until they're clear before hiring a more high profile coach. Getting top-flight candidates to take the helm while the program is mired in sanctions & lost scholarships may be very difficult.
For a man who has written two books about integrity & faith, Tressel came off as a hypocrite & was justly scapegoated for his deception & lies regarding 5 starting players, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor. After being notified of the problem by an ex-Buckeye player who is now a lawyer in Columbus, Tressel sat on the information for 8 months before the story began leaking out & his troubles multiplied. Over 50 players & family members had gotten favorable deals on cars from two local dealers, players had traded or sold Ohio State memorabilia for cash or tattoos. A number of Buckeye football players were arrested for off the field crimes. Edward Rife, the tattoo parlor owner, recently plead guilty to possession of 200-pounds of marijuana & is awaiting sentencing. At the sentencing hearing would we hear more ugliness about the Buckeye program? Apparently the school's board of trustees didn't want the Buckeye brand drug thru the mud any longer, Tressel had to go. If Tressel had just passed the information onto his athletic director or the school's compliance officer, he'd be in the clear, but he chose not to & that decision cost him his job.
Tressel compiled a 106-22-0 record while at OSU & won a BCS Championship. They won it on a bogus pass interference penalty in overtime, but the record shows they won the game. His Buckeyes played in two other BCS title games, favored by a touchdown over Florida, his team was humiliated 41-14 & a year later, favored by 8, they were humbled by LSU 38-24. In fact Tressel lost 10-straight games to SEC opponents before finally beating Arkansas in January's Sugar Bowl. I've said right here on these pages Tressel is one of the most overrated coaches in college football. This program is ranked highly because of their reputation & history, not because of what Tressel has accomplished while in Columbus. Before coming to Ohio State, he led Youngstown State to a 135-57-2 record, winning 4 Division I-AA championships. But he left that program mired in sanctions & lost scholarships & they've never regained their stature as a Div. I-AA powerhouse.
When high-profile ex-Buckeyes like Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Speilman, Robert Smith & Cris Carter start dogging you in the media, your days are numbered. Tressel got exactly what he deserved for his silence & deception. I hope the program receives the same type of sanctions & penalties USC got last year. There has to be accountability here.
Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib was indicted Friday by Texas officials for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is charged with firing a handgun at his brother-in-law during a family dispute. His mother, Okolo Talib, was also indicted on the same charges, she fired at her daughter's husband as he fled their residence. She also told police Aqib fired as well. No way he's a Buccaneer whenever football resumes. I have always thought this guy was a thug & said so here even before he was drafted out of Kansas. His pro football days are numbered right now. After the CBA signs & the dust settles on some pretty extreme fan feelings, the league will try to be more squeaky clean for a while.
The St. Louis Rams finally made a contribution to the Joplin tornado relief effort, contributing $25,000. The team said they would match any donations made by their employees. You mean the employees who've seen their pay cut since the lockout began, those employees? You have a team worth a billion dollars, owned by a billionaire & you can't even match Kansas City's $35,000 donation? Quarterback Sam Bradford & four other Rams made the trek to Joplin last week to lend support. Chiefs' QB Matt Cassel & #1 draft pick, wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin drove to the storm ravaged southern Missouri town last Thursday & helped residents attempt to recover some of their belongings. The Chiefs drive with K.C. fans netted 187,490 bottles of water. The total of cash donations was not released yet. Still nothing from the St. Louis Cardinals or Blues' hockey team.
The National Football League Coaches Association filed a "friend of the court" brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals last Thursday. It essentially sided with the players. Not so fast my friends. Entire coaching staffs have now disavowed this legal brief, saying they not only didn't support it, but were not notified of it's existence before it was filed. They didn't like their names being slapped on a legal document without their consent. All 17 coaches on the Washington Redskins & New Orleans' Saints say they didn't know of the document & did not support it. Saints' linebacker coach Joe Vitt said "it was awful presumptuous on their part that they would represent all the coaches on our staff. We're appalled, we support the owners, I've said this a million times, our organization has been built on trust. Tom Benson has been great to us. Unequivocally, we support ownership." This might be a case of leadership "knowing what's best" for it's members & adding their names to it without even considering they might not be in agreement.
During yesterday's softball game between Washington & Mizzou for a trip to the women's College World Series, something caught my eye. In the first inning, Mizzou coach Ehren Earleywine was ejected from the game for arguing an umpires call on a foul ball. So when the Lady Tigers came to bat, Earleywine wasn't in his third base coaches' box. Assistant coach Melissa Tucci took over there & her spot as the first base coach was handled by volunteer coach Phil Bradley. The former Tiger quarterback & outfielder, now 52, began helping out with the ladies' program earlier this season. Bradley played 10-years in the major leagues, mostly with Seattle & had a distinguished career leading the Tigers to three consecutive bowl appearances from 1979-81. He played with the Kellen Winslow-Eric Wright Tiger teams.
Did anyone else suffer thru ABC's telecast of the Indy 500 yesterday? The network has rendered their televised coverage unwatchable IMO. Commercial breaks every 6-7 minutes with a split screen so you don't miss anything, supposedly. I have a 52" TV & couldn't tell what was going on. Indy cars are too small to easily identify on a full screen telecast, reduce it by two-thirds & you have no clue what is transpiring. The final turn crash of race leader J.R. Hildebrand, driving for the National Guard, was the icing on the cake. It was a crummy 500, a race that is currently struggling to stay relevant & getting zero help from ABC.
I want to close on this Memorial Day by saluting all those who have given their lives in defense of this country. Since 1974, we've had an all-volunteer force & our defensive capability has gotten better because of the quality of personnel currently serving. The Stewart family has served proudly for some 69-years, beginning with my uncle Bill, a West Point grad who retired a Colonel after 34-years service. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. My dad, Robert Stewart, was an Army staff sergeant during WWII. He was awarded 2 Purple Hearts & 4 Bronze Stars(honest, four) in less than 2-years service. My cousin Gary Stewart served as an Army Captain from 1970-76 & I as a sergeant in the Air Force during the same period. My nephew Jason Sejkora, my sister Dana's son, is currently serving as a U.S. Army Ranger. I'm proud of our service just as I'm proud of my wife's family members who've served & those other family members who did as well. It's not a commitment taken lightly by those who raise their right hands to take the oath. Those who take on this responsibility should be recognized & respected. if you know someone serving today & you can thank them, do it, they'll appreciate it & you'll feel good about doing so.
Staff Sgt. Robert Stewart, U.S. Army, 1925-1998
Tressel was essentially out before he even heard from University officials. They had an "emergency meeting" Sunday & when the coach returned from vacation late last night, he was told of their conclusion, he had to go now. They asked for his resignation & today it was announced Coach "Sweater Vest" was no longer employed by Ohio State.
Luke Fickell, the assistant named as his interim coach while Tressel was supposed to serve his 5-game suspension, will take the helm for the entire 2011 season. After that, who knows? I doubt he will be the head coach in 2012, zero recruiting impact will be the main reason. The only thing that could change that is the pending August 12th NCAA hearing on all the charges that caused Tressel's ouster. If the Buckeyes receive sanctions & penalties similar to the ones handed out for USC, the University might wait until they're clear before hiring a more high profile coach. Getting top-flight candidates to take the helm while the program is mired in sanctions & lost scholarships may be very difficult.
For a man who has written two books about integrity & faith, Tressel came off as a hypocrite & was justly scapegoated for his deception & lies regarding 5 starting players, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor. After being notified of the problem by an ex-Buckeye player who is now a lawyer in Columbus, Tressel sat on the information for 8 months before the story began leaking out & his troubles multiplied. Over 50 players & family members had gotten favorable deals on cars from two local dealers, players had traded or sold Ohio State memorabilia for cash or tattoos. A number of Buckeye football players were arrested for off the field crimes. Edward Rife, the tattoo parlor owner, recently plead guilty to possession of 200-pounds of marijuana & is awaiting sentencing. At the sentencing hearing would we hear more ugliness about the Buckeye program? Apparently the school's board of trustees didn't want the Buckeye brand drug thru the mud any longer, Tressel had to go. If Tressel had just passed the information onto his athletic director or the school's compliance officer, he'd be in the clear, but he chose not to & that decision cost him his job.
Tressel compiled a 106-22-0 record while at OSU & won a BCS Championship. They won it on a bogus pass interference penalty in overtime, but the record shows they won the game. His Buckeyes played in two other BCS title games, favored by a touchdown over Florida, his team was humiliated 41-14 & a year later, favored by 8, they were humbled by LSU 38-24. In fact Tressel lost 10-straight games to SEC opponents before finally beating Arkansas in January's Sugar Bowl. I've said right here on these pages Tressel is one of the most overrated coaches in college football. This program is ranked highly because of their reputation & history, not because of what Tressel has accomplished while in Columbus. Before coming to Ohio State, he led Youngstown State to a 135-57-2 record, winning 4 Division I-AA championships. But he left that program mired in sanctions & lost scholarships & they've never regained their stature as a Div. I-AA powerhouse.
When high-profile ex-Buckeyes like Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Speilman, Robert Smith & Cris Carter start dogging you in the media, your days are numbered. Tressel got exactly what he deserved for his silence & deception. I hope the program receives the same type of sanctions & penalties USC got last year. There has to be accountability here.
Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib was indicted Friday by Texas officials for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is charged with firing a handgun at his brother-in-law during a family dispute. His mother, Okolo Talib, was also indicted on the same charges, she fired at her daughter's husband as he fled their residence. She also told police Aqib fired as well. No way he's a Buccaneer whenever football resumes. I have always thought this guy was a thug & said so here even before he was drafted out of Kansas. His pro football days are numbered right now. After the CBA signs & the dust settles on some pretty extreme fan feelings, the league will try to be more squeaky clean for a while.
The St. Louis Rams finally made a contribution to the Joplin tornado relief effort, contributing $25,000. The team said they would match any donations made by their employees. You mean the employees who've seen their pay cut since the lockout began, those employees? You have a team worth a billion dollars, owned by a billionaire & you can't even match Kansas City's $35,000 donation? Quarterback Sam Bradford & four other Rams made the trek to Joplin last week to lend support. Chiefs' QB Matt Cassel & #1 draft pick, wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin drove to the storm ravaged southern Missouri town last Thursday & helped residents attempt to recover some of their belongings. The Chiefs drive with K.C. fans netted 187,490 bottles of water. The total of cash donations was not released yet. Still nothing from the St. Louis Cardinals or Blues' hockey team.
The National Football League Coaches Association filed a "friend of the court" brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals last Thursday. It essentially sided with the players. Not so fast my friends. Entire coaching staffs have now disavowed this legal brief, saying they not only didn't support it, but were not notified of it's existence before it was filed. They didn't like their names being slapped on a legal document without their consent. All 17 coaches on the Washington Redskins & New Orleans' Saints say they didn't know of the document & did not support it. Saints' linebacker coach Joe Vitt said "it was awful presumptuous on their part that they would represent all the coaches on our staff. We're appalled, we support the owners, I've said this a million times, our organization has been built on trust. Tom Benson has been great to us. Unequivocally, we support ownership." This might be a case of leadership "knowing what's best" for it's members & adding their names to it without even considering they might not be in agreement.
During yesterday's softball game between Washington & Mizzou for a trip to the women's College World Series, something caught my eye. In the first inning, Mizzou coach Ehren Earleywine was ejected from the game for arguing an umpires call on a foul ball. So when the Lady Tigers came to bat, Earleywine wasn't in his third base coaches' box. Assistant coach Melissa Tucci took over there & her spot as the first base coach was handled by volunteer coach Phil Bradley. The former Tiger quarterback & outfielder, now 52, began helping out with the ladies' program earlier this season. Bradley played 10-years in the major leagues, mostly with Seattle & had a distinguished career leading the Tigers to three consecutive bowl appearances from 1979-81. He played with the Kellen Winslow-Eric Wright Tiger teams.
Did anyone else suffer thru ABC's telecast of the Indy 500 yesterday? The network has rendered their televised coverage unwatchable IMO. Commercial breaks every 6-7 minutes with a split screen so you don't miss anything, supposedly. I have a 52" TV & couldn't tell what was going on. Indy cars are too small to easily identify on a full screen telecast, reduce it by two-thirds & you have no clue what is transpiring. The final turn crash of race leader J.R. Hildebrand, driving for the National Guard, was the icing on the cake. It was a crummy 500, a race that is currently struggling to stay relevant & getting zero help from ABC.
I want to close on this Memorial Day by saluting all those who have given their lives in defense of this country. Since 1974, we've had an all-volunteer force & our defensive capability has gotten better because of the quality of personnel currently serving. The Stewart family has served proudly for some 69-years, beginning with my uncle Bill, a West Point grad who retired a Colonel after 34-years service. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. My dad, Robert Stewart, was an Army staff sergeant during WWII. He was awarded 2 Purple Hearts & 4 Bronze Stars(honest, four) in less than 2-years service. My cousin Gary Stewart served as an Army Captain from 1970-76 & I as a sergeant in the Air Force during the same period. My nephew Jason Sejkora, my sister Dana's son, is currently serving as a U.S. Army Ranger. I'm proud of our service just as I'm proud of my wife's family members who've served & those other family members who did as well. It's not a commitment taken lightly by those who raise their right hands to take the oath. Those who take on this responsibility should be recognized & respected. if you know someone serving today & you can thank them, do it, they'll appreciate it & you'll feel good about doing so.
Staff Sgt. Robert Stewart, U.S. Army, 1925-1998
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