I’m not sure there’s anything left to say about the Jim Tressel situation that you haven’t already heard…Back in an earlier post of mine I explained why I never trusted the former Ohio State football coach. It really had nothing to do with something he did, rather my distrust originated from what he didn’t do. Tressel didn’t appear to truly have Maurice Clarrett’s back when the star running back was in a time of crisis. Although it was just one instance, it certainly left a lasting impression on me about the type of person I think Tressel is.
Never mind the fact that Tressel does a lot of good for the community through his public speaking, or the fact that he was a tremendously successful coach at Ohio State. All it takes is one negative event to make you stop and rethink your entire perspective on someone. And unfortunately, the events surrounding Tressel’s resignation are only strengthening my previous opinions of the man. I guess the sad thing is, the “Tat Five” problem came to his front doorstep. He didn’t ask for any of this to be brought upon him, but Tressel failed as a coach and a leader when he had the opportunity to do something about it and chose to do nothing. If he had just spoken up to the NCAA Officials when he first learned of his players’ wrongdoings then I’m sure he’d still have his job and I wouldn’t be writing this entry today. Tressel said the reason he didn’t initially come forward with the information was because he was trying to protect his players. Tressel claims to be a man of high integrity and character but I guess he decided to go against his conscience when deciding not to tell school officials about the “Tat Five.”
Possessing good character means that you always do the right thing no matter what. Sure, it sounds pretty elementary but very few people posses the trait. I think a lot of us try to live our lives with integrity and honesty but we’re using it as if it’s an “on-off” switch. We flip it on when it’s most convenient for us. It’s hard to always keep it turned on, but Tressel was paid millions at OSU to ensure that his did…
It’s yet to be seen whether or not the NCAA decides to hand down any more serious sanctions to OSU but no doubt has this event been a black eye for both the school and the Big Ten. I’m really interested to see in which direction the program and its former coach, Jim Tressel, go from here…
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