OSU COVER-UP COMES INTO FOCUS, PRYOR MADE BIG BUCKS AS A BUCKEYE & JUST WHAT DID COLT'S WIFE SAY TODAY?
Just like the sh*tstorm U.S. Representative Anthony Wiener finds himself in, Jim Tressel was guilty of an attempted coverup & it was his downfall. New information has surfaced showing just how far Tressel went without ever notifying his athletic director or the university's compliance office. In April of 2010, Tressel received an email from a former Buckeye player, Chris Cicero, an attorney. In that email Cicero informed Tressel that Terrelle Pryor was receiving free or discounted tattoos from a Columbus parlor. Tressel chose to sit on this information, not telling anyone about Cicero's allegations. Exactly who or how many people ratted Tressel, Pryor & 5 other current Buckeyes out is still unknown but it's safe to say it was more than one tattler. They were outed in December & the ridiculous suspension charade began. The 6 starters would be allowed to play in January's Sugar Bowl, but would be suspended for the first 5 games of the 2011 season. Tressel also imposed a 3-game suspension upon himself. Tressel's suspension was extended to 5-games after public outcry. Most of the Buckeye nation lauded the coach for "falling on the sword" for his players & the university. Like Wiener, it was smoke & mirrors. In March, Tressel & some of his players became aware of several snoopy reporters asking questions about what was really going on in Columbus. First it was the Columbus Dispatch & their investigative report on the phoney used car deals for 50 football players & family members. On March 25th, Tressel must have known others were closing in, he forwarded Cicero's email to Ted Sarniak, a businessman from Jeanette Pennsylvania, Pryor's hometown. Sarniak had served as the quarterback's mentor & conduit during OSU's recruitment. Sarniak received 77 emails & text messages from Tressel over the next two months. They also logged 4 1/2 hours of phone conversations during this period. Tressel also texted Roy Hall, Pryor's high school coach 91 times during this period. It was a surprising number of contacts concerning the player was already in school at Columbus. On Friday, May 27th, just two days before Tressel resigned, Sports Illustrated writer George Dohrman informed OSU A.D. Gene Smith the magazine was going to break a story about Tressel, Pryor & other improprieties within the football program. University President Gordon Gee had just returned from a trip to China & was informed of the SI piece by Smith as soon as he stepped off the plane late Friday night. During all-day meetings on Saturday, Gee, Smith & the board of regents decided Tressel had to go. So Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Tressel resigned before the Sports Illustrated cover story hit the newstands on Thursday. Tressel had 166 contacts with the two men in Jeanette but never notified his A.D. or compliance officer, which would have saved his sweater-vested ass.
Gee said yesterday Tressel's departure had nothing to do with the university's pending NCAA hearing on August 12th. See, everybody lies, from players to boosters to coaches to school presidents. With these revelations & the new reports from ESPN today regarding ex-Buckeye, as of a few hours ago, Terrelle Pryor, I think Ohio State is facing bigger penalties than were leveled at USC last year. It could literally cripple this program for several years.
This afternoon, ESPN's Outside the Lines program broke a lot of news about Terrelle Pryor & all of it was bad. Fatal in fact, by late afternoon, Pryor, thru his lawyer, told the world he was no longer a member of the Ohio State football program. He will enter the NFL supplemental draft, whenever it is held. The lawyer described Pryor as "leaving to take the pressure off his Buckeye teammates." Yeah, he's a real humanitarian, always looking out for others. What a load of crap, just like Wiener & Tressel, as more & more negative reports see daylight regarding Pryor, he'll say anything. But know this, just like the others, if his lips are moving, he's probably lying.
ESPN alleges Pryor made upwards of $40,000 last year signing mini helmets & other Buckeye gear for a very shady Columbus businessman Dennis Talbott. He is currently facing a variety of charges including income tax evasion. The player who ratted Pryor out to ESPN, said he was no longer Pryor's friend as he had become so arrogant it was impossible to remain friends. This source told ESPN Pryor had items delivered to the Columbus apartment the two shared, he signed the items & Talbott retrieved them & gave Pryor $500-1,000 each time. He said Talbott dropped items to be autographed at their apartment 35-40 times in 2010. You do the math. Pryor's schoolwork was now secondary to signing his name 50-times, 3-4 times a week for Talbott. ESPN also reported despite his new found wealth, Pryor "never paid for dinner out, at convenience stores or for drinks in bars, he expected others to pick up his tab & they did." Pryor knew the NCAA was onto him, the cars, the cash, having everything comped around Columbus, that's why he abandoned the sinking OSU ship. Pryor can call it whatever he wants, but he's an arrogant, immature, selfish Maurice Clarrett or future JaMarcus Russell. This story isn't nearly over & his entrance to the NFL as a 4th or 5th round supplemental draft pick won't be a motivator for Pryor, instead he will sulk, complain & underachieve. His popularity in the state of Ohio could rival LeBron James before this is over, especially when the NCAA lowers the boom on the Buckeye program.
I spoke this afternoon of other NCAA investigations, there is one aimed at North Carolina. The charges are inappropriate benefits & academic misconduct. Butch Davis discovered as many as 14 players, 10 of them starters, had run afoul of university & NCAA rules right before the 2010 season began. Four players were lost for the season while the other 10 served suspensions from 1-5 games. Some of these kids were taking trips paid for by agents or sports' marketers. Others are accused of cheating in the classroom. Even tho all of the suspensions have already been completed, the NCAA could sanction the football program with more penalties.
In other murky college news, the West Virginia program could be in trouble, but it appears to be internal. Head coach Bill Stewart & his wife are rumored to have exposed some questionable stories about offensive coordinator & "coach in waiting" Dana Holgerson. Two stories regarding Holgerson being thrown out of a casino because he was drunk & disorderly have been proven false. The rumors out of Morgantown say Stewart and/or his wife used a local reporter to expose this bogus story. Athletic Director Oliver Luck, who hired Holgerson, said today he was "dismayed by the rumors & would investigate them internally." Could a RichRod return be in the offing?
In the last ugly college story of a very busy day, a few off-handed remarks from an NFL players' wife could plunge another of the country's most storied football programs into NCAA purgatory. Rachel McCoy, wife of Cleveland Browns' quarterback Colt McCoy, appeared on the Colin Cowherd program on ESPN Radio as a caller responding to the Ohio State mess. As she talked in her pro-player rant, the collective UT sphincters were heard clinching all the way from Austin.
"People in Texas are just being friendly, they don't mean anything by it at all. They don't realize most of the time it's a violation. At Texas you're taught to take absolutely nothing, I don't care if it's a hot dog or soda. But you've got guys, grown adult men with law degrees, educated men, what do they expect to gain from this? You cannot expect 19-20 year-old kids to say no to free stuff when they're in college. It's hard, I think, for a lot of these guys to even say 'I can take this, I can't take this, nobody's gonna know, will someone find out?"
"Things given to you that seem so minor, a dinner, hunting quail or a fishing trip, most kids don't even realize it's illegal. I know Colt was approached quite a bit but I saw so many of his teammates who didn't have some of that self-control to say no when you have adults promising things & offering things."
"It's all about grown men saying 'I took so & so to dinner, I took so & so with me last Saturday.' It's all about grown men & their pride & young men & their inability to say no."
Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, I'm sure the folks from Austin are thrilled you took time out of your busy day to call one of the lamest radio shows on the planet & publicly talk about Texas football players taking free stuff. By the way Mrs. McCoy attended Baylor on a track scholarship.
Rachel McCoy
So now we've seen USC smacked with a 2-year postseason ban along with the loss of 30 scholarships. Ohio State is next in the NCAA crosshairs, thanks to Tressel & Pryor. Tennessee & North Carolina are on deck for their investigations & now with the help of Rachel McCoy, the Texas Longhorns might also get into the rotation. And let's not forget the BCS's appointment with the Department of Justice, who wants to know how fair there system really is. This could be a very ugly year for college football. I hope not, we still don't know if or when the NFL & it's players will come to their senses & workout a new CBA so we can have Sunday/Monday football on time this fall.
Gee said yesterday Tressel's departure had nothing to do with the university's pending NCAA hearing on August 12th. See, everybody lies, from players to boosters to coaches to school presidents. With these revelations & the new reports from ESPN today regarding ex-Buckeye, as of a few hours ago, Terrelle Pryor, I think Ohio State is facing bigger penalties than were leveled at USC last year. It could literally cripple this program for several years.
This afternoon, ESPN's Outside the Lines program broke a lot of news about Terrelle Pryor & all of it was bad. Fatal in fact, by late afternoon, Pryor, thru his lawyer, told the world he was no longer a member of the Ohio State football program. He will enter the NFL supplemental draft, whenever it is held. The lawyer described Pryor as "leaving to take the pressure off his Buckeye teammates." Yeah, he's a real humanitarian, always looking out for others. What a load of crap, just like Wiener & Tressel, as more & more negative reports see daylight regarding Pryor, he'll say anything. But know this, just like the others, if his lips are moving, he's probably lying.
ESPN alleges Pryor made upwards of $40,000 last year signing mini helmets & other Buckeye gear for a very shady Columbus businessman Dennis Talbott. He is currently facing a variety of charges including income tax evasion. The player who ratted Pryor out to ESPN, said he was no longer Pryor's friend as he had become so arrogant it was impossible to remain friends. This source told ESPN Pryor had items delivered to the Columbus apartment the two shared, he signed the items & Talbott retrieved them & gave Pryor $500-1,000 each time. He said Talbott dropped items to be autographed at their apartment 35-40 times in 2010. You do the math. Pryor's schoolwork was now secondary to signing his name 50-times, 3-4 times a week for Talbott. ESPN also reported despite his new found wealth, Pryor "never paid for dinner out, at convenience stores or for drinks in bars, he expected others to pick up his tab & they did." Pryor knew the NCAA was onto him, the cars, the cash, having everything comped around Columbus, that's why he abandoned the sinking OSU ship. Pryor can call it whatever he wants, but he's an arrogant, immature, selfish Maurice Clarrett or future JaMarcus Russell. This story isn't nearly over & his entrance to the NFL as a 4th or 5th round supplemental draft pick won't be a motivator for Pryor, instead he will sulk, complain & underachieve. His popularity in the state of Ohio could rival LeBron James before this is over, especially when the NCAA lowers the boom on the Buckeye program.
I spoke this afternoon of other NCAA investigations, there is one aimed at North Carolina. The charges are inappropriate benefits & academic misconduct. Butch Davis discovered as many as 14 players, 10 of them starters, had run afoul of university & NCAA rules right before the 2010 season began. Four players were lost for the season while the other 10 served suspensions from 1-5 games. Some of these kids were taking trips paid for by agents or sports' marketers. Others are accused of cheating in the classroom. Even tho all of the suspensions have already been completed, the NCAA could sanction the football program with more penalties.
In other murky college news, the West Virginia program could be in trouble, but it appears to be internal. Head coach Bill Stewart & his wife are rumored to have exposed some questionable stories about offensive coordinator & "coach in waiting" Dana Holgerson. Two stories regarding Holgerson being thrown out of a casino because he was drunk & disorderly have been proven false. The rumors out of Morgantown say Stewart and/or his wife used a local reporter to expose this bogus story. Athletic Director Oliver Luck, who hired Holgerson, said today he was "dismayed by the rumors & would investigate them internally." Could a RichRod return be in the offing?
In the last ugly college story of a very busy day, a few off-handed remarks from an NFL players' wife could plunge another of the country's most storied football programs into NCAA purgatory. Rachel McCoy, wife of Cleveland Browns' quarterback Colt McCoy, appeared on the Colin Cowherd program on ESPN Radio as a caller responding to the Ohio State mess. As she talked in her pro-player rant, the collective UT sphincters were heard clinching all the way from Austin.
"People in Texas are just being friendly, they don't mean anything by it at all. They don't realize most of the time it's a violation. At Texas you're taught to take absolutely nothing, I don't care if it's a hot dog or soda. But you've got guys, grown adult men with law degrees, educated men, what do they expect to gain from this? You cannot expect 19-20 year-old kids to say no to free stuff when they're in college. It's hard, I think, for a lot of these guys to even say 'I can take this, I can't take this, nobody's gonna know, will someone find out?"
"Things given to you that seem so minor, a dinner, hunting quail or a fishing trip, most kids don't even realize it's illegal. I know Colt was approached quite a bit but I saw so many of his teammates who didn't have some of that self-control to say no when you have adults promising things & offering things."
"It's all about grown men saying 'I took so & so to dinner, I took so & so with me last Saturday.' It's all about grown men & their pride & young men & their inability to say no."
Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, I'm sure the folks from Austin are thrilled you took time out of your busy day to call one of the lamest radio shows on the planet & publicly talk about Texas football players taking free stuff. By the way Mrs. McCoy attended Baylor on a track scholarship.
Rachel McCoy
So now we've seen USC smacked with a 2-year postseason ban along with the loss of 30 scholarships. Ohio State is next in the NCAA crosshairs, thanks to Tressel & Pryor. Tennessee & North Carolina are on deck for their investigations & now with the help of Rachel McCoy, the Texas Longhorns might also get into the rotation. And let's not forget the BCS's appointment with the Department of Justice, who wants to know how fair there system really is. This could be a very ugly year for college football. I hope not, we still don't know if or when the NFL & it's players will come to their senses & workout a new CBA so we can have Sunday/Monday football on time this fall.
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