Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

The lying has finally caught up to Jim Tressel. The man who thinks he is more righteous than thou is finally on the hot seat at Ohio State.  He can no longer hind behind the spectacles and the sweater vest.  Jim Tressel has been discovered for what he is - a cheat in the dirty game of college athletics.  The man who likes to lectures others in his book "Life Promises for Success: Promises from God on Achieving your Best"  will now be lectured by NCAA investigators.  Similar to Tiger Woods, who tried to portray a family image to the public but lived a life far from it, Jim Tressel tried to portray himself as coach who did things the right way.  His collection of proper sweater vests made Mr. Rogers seem like a party animal with those hipster cardigans.

Tressel was alerted that some of his star players were selling memorabilia in violation of NCAA rules as early as April 2010, nearly eight months before the school was finally notified.  By concealing the information, those players were able to stay on the field during the 2010 regular season and even in the Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas, netting Ohio State millions of dollars.  And what does the Ohio State Board of Trustees dish out to punish Tressel?  Two games, and their not against arch-rival Michigan or another Big Ten opponent, but against Akron and Toledo.  Brutus could coach against Akron and Toledo and the Buckeyes would still roll to victory.

This is not Tressel's first run-in with the NCAA.  After recruiting Maurice Clarett and promising his parents that he will make him a better football player and a better person, Tressel's coaching staff set him up with boosters who gave Clarett thousands of dollars.  Tressel also hooked him up with a landscaping job that required no landscaping.  Yet, somehow despite all the fiascos at Ohio State and further back at Youngstown state, Gordon Gee, the President of Ohio State, hopes that Jim Tressel does not dismiss him.