H*****r
发帖数: 764 | 1 http://claytravis.net/wordpress/?p=1298
Ohio State Is Screwed (But You Wouldn’t Know It Based On Media Coverage)
You’re not hearing anything about Ohio State at all from most sports media
which is why I took a break from two top-secret longer form writing projects
to let you know what you need to know about Ohio State and Jim Tressel.
The immediate takeaway is simple — and salty — Ohio State and Jim Tressel
are fucked. (I used screwed in the headline so y’all wouldn’t get busted
at work).
Last night I read the email correspondence between Jim Tressel and an
anonymous lawyer (for the moment, anyway). My jaw dropped. Literally. (And
not just because my jaw is not presently having to hold up the weight of a
substantial beard growth which I shaved off on air Monday.) Stop everything
and read those Tressel emails right here, right now if you have not already
done so.
My jaw dropped because I was stunned that there was such clear, written
evidence with a date and time stamp that proved Jim Tressel knew about his
players selling jerseys, rings, pants, trophies, and sundry other objects
eight months before Ohio State publicly acknowledged this fact in the wake
of a federal investigation. Tressel argues that he didn’t think of the
potential NCAA violations because he was scared by the emails and needed to
keep them confidential. Of course, because I use double exclamation points
in response to emails that terrify me all the time!!
No reasonable person who reads this emails can justify Jim Tressel still
having a job. Yet as of now the vast majority of sports fans haven’t even
read these emails. Why? Because ESPN hasn’t used them at all in its
television coverage. Not a single email! That’s a complete and utter
indictment of the network. Partly this is because ESPN still behaves like a
petulant high school student when someone else breaks the story, but I also
think it’s a symptom of a larger issue, which is that for all its interest
the sports community is not large. Jim Tressel is well-liked by the good ole
boys at the network. So he doesn’t get hammered like other coaches would.
Even when he completely deserves it.
And, to be completely fair, ESPN has been really busy. After all, two days
ago the Miami Heat coach did say that a couple of his players cried in the
locker room. That definitely deserves 100x the network coverage as one of
the most famous coaches in college history lying to his employer, impeding a
federal criminal investigation while encouraging a cover-up and reclamation
of evidence, lying about why he lied — the confidentiality argument is
bullshit as you’ll see below –, all to keep his players, at least two of
whom were under investigation for federal drug trafficking!, eligible for a
season they shouldn’t have been eligible for at all.
This story is huge!
And I don’t think Tressel can survive it. Not when the general public
becomes aware of what he actually did. Of course the sports media leader has
to actually report on what Tressel actually did. Something that they haven
’t done at all.
Here are seven quick takeaways that will give you more information than ESPN
has in 48 hours.
(And by the way, a bunch of y’all aren’t on Twitter. In fact, based on
readership numbers for my column and books the vast majority of you aren’t
on Twitter. You’re wasting your sporting fan lives if you aren’t on
Twitter. I’m here. If you’re too lazy to figure out who to follow just
copy the guys and gals I follow. You’ll be glad that you did. I would
rather have Twitter on my iPhone than the actual phone function. That’s how
much I love it.)
1. Jim Tressel knowingly lied to keep his players eligible.
That’s enough to get him fired by itself.
Ohio State has admitted that he lied at least three times to them. That
means he probably lied to the NCAA too.
And, here’s the key, his lie kept players on the field who wouldn’t have
otherwise been there. That is, he lied and gained a tremendous competitive
advantage by lying.
2. Tressel’s “confidentiality” excuse is bullshit.
Tressel claimed he didn’t turn over the emails for two reasons. a. he didn
’t know who to let know– yes, he actually said this and b. he was told to
keep the information confidential.
Only the first email Tressel received about this matter — on April 2 —
didn’t contain any request for confidentiality. Only two weeks later did
the request for confidentiality begin. So Tressel had two weeks to turn over
this information to NCAA compliance at Ohio State before any “
confidentiality” was violated.
And he still didn’t do it.
Of course, all the emailer did was request confidentiality. And he didn’t
even request that until he’d already provided the information. Tressel didn
’t actually agree to keep anything confidential in writing. Nor did he have
to. It’s telling that this is the best, and only, defense Tressel can
muster.
And it’s a bullshit defense.
What’s more, Tressel violated that confidentiality provision by talking to
the players at issue. So Tressel did use the information, but only when it
benefited him — that is, when it kept his players eligible as opposed to
tipping off compliance that they shouldn’t be eligible.
That’s right, Tressel didn’t even follow the parameters of his own excuse,
he lied about keeping it confidential too!
3. State disbarrment proceedings may well follow.
It’s hard to determine exactly what the relationship is between the lawyer
who tipped off Tressel and the subjects of the investigation, but it looks
like the tattoo parlor owner may have been a prospective client. At worst
this lawyer admitted having him into his office for an hour and a half and
pumped him for information that he then delivered to Tressel. At best that
may not explicitly violate the attorney/client provision of his ethical
responsibilities, but it’s likely to be examined by the state bar.
And if he conducted this meeting under the guise of potentially representing
this client then that meeting was attorney/client privileged even if he
never represented him. That’s a clear ethical violation. Either way, a
hearing is coming.
Why does this matter? Tressel could have to go under oath in any disbarrment
proceeding and testify about his communications with the attorney. For
instance, was this communication limited to email or did they also talk on
the phone? What’s more, could Tressel have been tipped off by this same
lawyer about previous criminal investigations involving Ohio State players?
Has Ohio State checked all of Tressel’s email correspondence with this same
lawyer throughout his tenure at OSU? Could there be much more that Tressel
has known about over the years and kept “confidential” as well.
Keep in mind Tressel trusted this emailer, which means he probably knew him
and had a pre-existing relationship. Also keep in mind that Tressel’s under
oath testimony and records would be reviewable by the NCAA which otherwise
lacks subpoena power.
All of this means the investigation into the lawyer, which is definitely
going to happen on some level, will include Tressel.
4. A criminal investigation could ensue into whether the lawyer — and
perhaps Tressel — interfered with a federal investigation by counseling
players to restrict communications and alter their behavior.
I talked to a U.S. Attorney friend who said he’d open up an inquiry based
on these emails. That inquiry would focus on these issues:
a. why is the lawyer sharing federal investigation details with a non-party
to the investigation?
b. why is the lawyer encouraging Tressel to change the behavior of players,
i.e. not make calls to investigating parties, reclaiming evidence, and the
like. That could have impeded the actual investigation, especially if the
players were the focus.
c. if the lawyer doesn’t know from his own work, who leaked information
about this investigation to the lawyer? Was that information that was leaked
criminal in nature?
d. when Tressel threatened to hold the championship rings for “collateral”
did he alter the course of the investigation by keeping the players from
otherwise engaging in illicit activity?
Those would just be preliminary issues to examine. It could grow from there.
5. For all this, Tressel is suspended for two games and fined 250k.
This is a joke punishment. At a bare minimum Tressel should be suspended
longer than the players whose actions he covered up and should have to
vacate the entirety of his 2010 season.
The Big Ten’s Jim Delany likes to take shots at the SEC for countenancing a
win at all costs mantra. Well, this Ohio State response defines win at all
cost. SEC commissioner Mike Slive suspended Bruce Pearl for eight conference
games, half the season — that would be four football games. Does Jim
Delany have the balls to follow suit? Or will he allow Tressel, a liar and
perhaps a criminal, to prowl the sideline in his sweater vest for every
conference game?
6. Every single person who called for Bruce Pearl to be fired has to call
for Jim Tressel to be fired as well.
Why?
Because Tressel’s actions are much worse. Pearl lied about hosting juniors
at a home BBQ. That would have been a secondary violation if he hadn’t lied
. Pearl gained no competitive advantage from the situation. Indeed, two of
the three players who attended the BBQ are presently playing at Kansas and,
ironically, Ohio State. Pearl admitted lying to the NCAA of his own volition
not because the school uncovered his lie. In fact, there’s no suggestion
in the record that he lied to the school.
For that action — lying about a secondary violation to the NCAA — the
school took him off the road recruiting for a year, docked him over a
million dollars in salary, and the SEC suspended him for half the conference
basketball season. Pearl still has to appear before the Committee on
Infractions and face additional penalties.
Meanwhile, Jim Tressel lied about the receipt of multiple emails that
explicitly detailed a major violation that would have rendered players
ineligible, three times lied to his university, lied to the NCAA about when
he became aware of this situation, played those players for 12 regular
season games while knowing that they had sold apparel, rings, and assorted
other awards and were under investigation for federal drug trafficking,
instead of admitting his wrongdoing he was caught in that lie by the school
’s review of his emails, and still has not taken responsibility for that
lie — as noted he cited a bullshit “confidentiality” rationale.
Whew.
For these blockbuster lies and borderline criminal activity, Tressel won’t
be able to coach against Akron and Toledo.
That’s not a joke.
What Jim Tressel did makes Bruce Pearl look like a choir boy. Yet I haven’t
heard a single media member call for Tressel’s firing. (Personally, I’ve
ripped Pearl on air for months. And I’ve said for months that you can make
strong arguments to fire him or keep him. I haven’t taken a side because I
’m interested in how the NCAA deals with a situation with no precedent and
I think it’s a 50/50 call).
But for all the Pearl angst, Tressel is skating by with barely a speck of
public criticism.
So is the Ohio State administration.
Especially since Gordon Gee’s line, “I just hope the coach doesn’t
dismiss me.” will go with him to his grave. For a university president who
claims that academics are more important than athletics — and once made
national news for disbanding Vandy’s athletic department — it’s a sad end
for him.
7. Why isn’t ESPN all over this?
The worldwide leader in sports has yet to air a single email from Tressel on
any of its networks.
Seriously, not a one.
But, like I said, a couple of Miami Heat players cried in the locker room
two days ago. How can you expect ESPN to cover both? | B****a
发帖数: 1526 | 2 ESPN的Schlabach写了个column就被一群commentators骂的狗血淋头，别人看了估计都
不敢接着整了
media
projects
Tressel
【在 H*****r 的大作中提到】
: http://claytravis.net/wordpress/?p=1298
: Ohio State Is Screwed (But You Wouldn’t Know It Based On Media Coverage)
: You’re not hearing anything about Ohio State at all from most sports media
: which is why I took a break from two top-secret longer form writing projects
: to let you know what you need to know about Ohio State and Jim Tressel.
: The immediate takeaway is simple — and salty — Ohio State and Jim Tressel
: are fucked. (I used screwed in the headline so y’all wouldn’t get busted
: at work).
: Last night I read the email correspondence between Jim Tressel and an
: anonymous lawyer (for the moment, anyway). My jaw dropped. Literally. (And
| T*********s
发帖数: 2987 | 3 I think LV will be fired. Not that I like to see that happens. |
|
