A New Day, A New View: Day After Jim Tressel’s Dismissal
By Editorial Staff
After a day of non-stop Buckeye coverage I took some time to listen to others opinions and view points and see where everything stands. Also after the long awaited SI.com article was posted I read it thoroughly and found that it didn’t really show anything that was “new” but it did show that Ohio State was nothing special over the last decade or so. That cars, tattoos, and extra benefits were fair game here just as they are in the SEC and nearly every other major program in the country. Personally my views haven’t really changed, and if you want to see what they are click here. But what I have realized over the last 24 hours is that the point of views of so many people can be so wide ranging that it is staggering.
For the record. I in no way believe that memorabilia for tattoos is the worst crime that can be committed, nor am I under any illusion that major college athletes have, and as long as the current NCAA system isn’t changed, will always receive extra benefits. That’s just the way the system is, you play until you get caught, and once you’re caught it’s your turn to be run through the ringer.
It’s likely to happen to every major program to some extent sooner or later. It is a flawed system by any measure, but for now they are the rules schools have to play by, hopefully in our lifetimes that will change (if you do too be sure to check out @WhitlockJason, he’s leading the revolution). What I hope everyone took away from my previous post is that I want the school and program I love to be better than that, and for a while, I thought I had it. Now that it’s gone it stings a little.
What I have seen from players (current and former) and fans (casual and die-hard) is that what they experienced during the Jim Tressel era is something they will hold in their hearts as sacred and beloved for as long as they live. I imagine it’s the same kind of reverence that many Buckeye fans currently reserve for Woody Hayes. So to anyone out there wondering if Tressel will ever have a place in Buckeye lore the same as Woody, I can almost assuredly tell you YES.
Many people were not fans of my original post and some were. The point is that this particular topic has no right or wrong opinion (believe me, that’s tough for me to say). You experienced the last ten seasons in your own way, you have the right to be sad, pissed, happy, or ambivalent. Some people will choose to remember all of the good and will be able to block out all of the bad, I envy those people. Maybe I’m just too cynical, I look back and remember what it felt like to cheer for the Buckeyes and how good it felt to be the school that did it right, however naïve that may have been. I grew up watching college sports my entire life, I knew what I was watching, yet somehow made myself believe that Ohio State was different. The reason was coach Jim Tressel. On the outside he looked the part of the straight laced no non-sense coach that preached values and integrity. The coach that players would run through walls and fans would walk through fire for, and I ate it up. Sure there were small accusations throughout his tenure with the university, but each could easily be dismissed because it was a disgruntled player, or such a small amount and an isolated incident, besides, how could the coach be expected to know every little thing about every player. But as I read through the SI.com piece and it stacked up everything regarding coach Tressel’s career from his days at Youngstown State all the way to today it really is an astonishing list of infractions. If you have the time, read the article again, and instead of reading Ohio State and Jim Tressel, replace them with Michigan and Lloyd Carr, or Penn State and Joe Paterno, and ask yourself how would you feel? As someone that is supposed to look at this team as a fan and still have some objectivity I can’t help but see everything in its entirety and not see one of the dirtiest programs of the last decade.
I’m not saying that I am no longer a Buckeye fan. I will be until the day I die. It’s just difficult to see something you care about dragged through the mud, and when it happens you’re going to have your own way to deal with it. That’s what I’ve learned today, different people have different reactions. Some people went to the local Graeters and ordered a Buckeye Blitz in honor of coach Tressel; some people choose to remember the great work Tressel did with our troops. And those people aren’t wrong. In fact I salute them, and I am glad to call them Buckeye fans alongside me. We’re Buckeye fans, and no matter what we all want what is best for the university, hopefully today was a step. A painful step, but hopefully one that will lead us in the right direction.