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Jim Tressel suspended 2 games, fined
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State has suspended football coach Jim Tressel two games and fined him $250,000 for violating NCAA rules, following a Monday report indicating he was aware of potential NCAA violations involving star quarterback Terrelle Pryor and others months before the school was told.
Tressel will also have to attend compliance seminar and make a public apology.
The NCAA still must complete its own investigation and could expand or add punishment for Tressel and Ohio State depending on its own findings.
"I am sorry and disappointed this happened. At the time the situation occurred, I thought I was doing the right thing," Tressel said in a school statement. "I understand my responsibility to represent Ohio State and the game of football. I apologize to any and all of the people I have let down. I will grow from this experience."
Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that Tressel knew of allegations of improper benefits to Pryor and five other players as early as April 2010 -- at least seven months before the university found out from a U.S. Attorney.
Ohio State says in a release that it submitted a report to the NCAA that Tressel "violated provisions of NCAA Bylaw 10.1 when he failed to notify the university about information received involving two football student-athletes."
Ohio State says it "became aware of this situation on Jan. 13, while reviewing information on an unrelated legal issue."
Athletic director Gene Smith, school president Gordon Gee and Tressel addressed the allegations at a Tuesday news conference.
Smith came back to campus Tuesday, skipping meetings with television network officials in New York about this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, to address the brewing controversy involving Tressel, who is 106-22 in his 10 years as coach of the Buckeyes. Smith is the chairman of the NCAA's Division I men's basketball committee which selects, seeds and brackets the teams.
Smith has said the local U.S. Attorney's office on Dec. 7 alerted the school that some of its players were selling items such as jerseys and championship rings to Edward Rife, who owns Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus. Soon after, the school opened an investigation and informed the NCAA of the possible rules violations.
On Dec. 23, Pryor was suspended by the NCAA for the first five games of the 2011 season, along with starting tailback Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive tackle Mike Adams and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. All the players were allowed to play in Ohio State's 31-26 victory against Arkansas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Another player was suspended for one game.
Under section 4.1d of Tressel's latest contract, he is bound to report any possible violation of Big Ten or NCAA bylaws immediately.
That portion of the contract states that the coach shall "Know, recognize and comply with all federal, state and local laws, as well as all applicable policies, rules and regulations of Ohio State, and governing athletic rules, including but not limited to, the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA ..."
It later continues, in the event that the coach learns of a potential infraction, "... and immediately report to the [athletic] Director and to the Department's Office of Compliance Services in writing if any [underlined in the contract] person or entity, including without limitation, representatives of Ohio State's athletic interests, has violated or is likely to violate any such laws, policies, rules or regulations."
Over the course of his career, Tressel has had players who drew the NCAA's attention.
While Tressel was coach at Youngstown State, of Division I's Football Championship Subdivision, quarterback Ray Isaac was accused of accepting improper benefits including cars from boosters. Years later, the university admitted to the infractions and faced minor penalties.
The player who led Ohio State to its first national championship in 34 years, tailback Maurice Clarett, also involved Tressel in some NCAA problems. After the Buckeyes beat Miami in the BCS National Championship Game following the 2002 season, Clarett was suspended for receiving improper benefits from Buckeyes boosters.
Clarett, who never played another collegiate game, also accused the university of academic fraud in its dealings with athletes' academics.
Troy Smith, Tressel's quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 2006, was suspended for the Alamo Bowl at the end of the 2004 season and for the first two games of the 2005 season for taking money from a booster.
In May of 2009, The Columbus Dispatch reported that since 2000, Ohio State had reported to the NCAA more than 375 violations -- the most of any of the 69 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that provided documents to the newspaper through public-records requests. Most of the infractions were minor and resulted in little or no punishment.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Email Print Comments292 ESPN.com news services
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State has suspended football coach Jim Tressel two games and fined him $250,000 for violating NCAA rules, following a Monday report indicating he was aware of potential NCAA violations involving star quarterback Terrelle Pryor and others months before the school was told.
Tressel will also have to attend compliance seminar and make a public apology.
The NCAA still must complete its own investigation and could expand or add punishment for Tressel and Ohio State depending on its own findings.
"I am sorry and disappointed this happened. At the time the situation occurred, I thought I was doing the right thing," Tressel said in a school statement. "I understand my responsibility to represent Ohio State and the game of football. I apologize to any and all of the people I have let down. I will grow from this experience."
Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that Tressel knew of allegations of improper benefits to Pryor and five other players as early as April 2010 -- at least seven months before the university found out from a U.S. Attorney.
Ohio State says in a release that it submitted a report to the NCAA that Tressel "violated provisions of NCAA Bylaw 10.1 when he failed to notify the university about information received involving two football student-athletes."
Ohio State says it "became aware of this situation on Jan. 13, while reviewing information on an unrelated legal issue."
Athletic director Gene Smith, school president Gordon Gee and Tressel addressed the allegations at a Tuesday news conference.
Smith came back to campus Tuesday, skipping meetings with television network officials in New York about this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, to address the brewing controversy involving Tressel, who is 106-22 in his 10 years as coach of the Buckeyes. Smith is the chairman of the NCAA's Division I men's basketball committee which selects, seeds and brackets the teams.
Smith has said the local U.S. Attorney's office on Dec. 7 alerted the school that some of its players were selling items such as jerseys and championship rings to Edward Rife, who owns Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus. Soon after, the school opened an investigation and informed the NCAA of the possible rules violations.
On Dec. 23, Pryor was suspended by the NCAA for the first five games of the 2011 season, along with starting tailback Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive tackle Mike Adams and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. All the players were allowed to play in Ohio State's 31-26 victory against Arkansas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Another player was suspended for one game.
Under section 4.1d of Tressel's latest contract, he is bound to report any possible violation of Big Ten or NCAA bylaws immediately.
That portion of the contract states that the coach shall "Know, recognize and comply with all federal, state and local laws, as well as all applicable policies, rules and regulations of Ohio State, and governing athletic rules, including but not limited to, the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA ..."
It later continues, in the event that the coach learns of a potential infraction, "... and immediately report to the [athletic] Director and to the Department's Office of Compliance Services in writing if any [underlined in the contract] person or entity, including without limitation, representatives of Ohio State's athletic interests, has violated or is likely to violate any such laws, policies, rules or regulations."
Over the course of his career, Tressel has had players who drew the NCAA's attention.
While Tressel was coach at Youngstown State, of Division I's Football Championship Subdivision, quarterback Ray Isaac was accused of accepting improper benefits including cars from boosters. Years later, the university admitted to the infractions and faced minor penalties.
The player who led Ohio State to its first national championship in 34 years, tailback Maurice Clarett, also involved Tressel in some NCAA problems. After the Buckeyes beat Miami in the BCS National Championship Game following the 2002 season, Clarett was suspended for receiving improper benefits from Buckeyes boosters.
Clarett, who never played another collegiate game, also accused the university of academic fraud in its dealings with athletes' academics.
Troy Smith, Tressel's quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 2006, was suspended for the Alamo Bowl at the end of the 2004 season and for the first two games of the 2005 season for taking money from a booster.
In May of 2009, The Columbus Dispatch reported that since 2000, Ohio State had reported to the NCAA more than 375 violations -- the most of any of the 69 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that provided documents to the newspaper through public-records requests. Most of the infractions were minor and resulted in little or no punishment.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
