Close to the Vest

Joe Cleveland would like to take the opportunity to apologize for the long droughts between blog updates. With high school wrestling season over and girls and boys hoops not too far behind, the man behind the alter ego seems to have a bit of free time, which allows me to put on my "Joe Cleveland" hat and pontificate on the state of sports.

Joe Cleveland had to come out of hiding today, as the legend that is Jim Tressel came crashing down today when he all but admitted that he lied to the NCAA and his own bosses about e-mails that blew the whistle on his players accepting cash and tattoos for memorabilia that they won or were given as members of his Buckeyes.

Yahoo Sports blew the whistle on this story yesterday, quoting a source as saying that Tressel received e-mails from the attorney of tattoo shop owner Edward Rife back in April. Ohio State didn't find out about it until December, when a federal raid on the tattoo parlor uncovered the stuff. The school and the NCAA suspended five players, including starting QB Terrelle Pryor, for violating NCAA by-laws by accepting cash and gifts for their various awards and jersies. The school and the NCAA agreeed to let the violaters play in the Sugar Bowl -- which OSU won -- and allowed for the suspension to start with the first game of the 2011 season.

Ohio State had been appealing the suspension's length for the five players. But now that their "squeaky clean" head coach wasn't complicent himself, they might as well quit while they're ahead.

I worked with a guy who covered Ohio State for many years (both before and after Tressel's hiring) and he was convinced that the Tressel the public saw, the conservative, sweater-vest wearing disciplinarian who has done nothing but beat the tar out of Michigan and get OSU into tons of prestigious bowl games, wasn't the real Tressel. He was convinced that Tressel was shady, but he just couldn't prove it.

Red flags propped up shortly after Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a shocking National Championship in 2002. Maurice Clarett, the star freshman running back on that team, was linked to accepting improper benefits from an OSU booster. Tressel and the school claimed that they had no idea this was going on. Meanwhile, Clarett was threatening to blow the whistle on Tress and the school. Unfortunately, Clarett's credibility was shot. He was dismissed from the team and the school, tried to challenge the NFL's draft laws (and failed), was selected by the Broncos in the third round, signed an incentive-laden contract that didn't guarantee him a DIME and then was cut in training camp. Oh yeah, then he robbed someone at gunpoint in Columbus and spent some time in prison. Nice going, Maurice.

After the Clarett debacle, Troy Smith was also found to have accepted gifts from a booster. He was quickly suspended for the Alamo Bowl (this was right after he engineered a huge upset of Michigan in one of his first starts) and his first two games of the next season. He came back for a huge No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash with Texas, but Tressel kept flip-flopping between him and Justin Zwick, and the Buckeyes lost.

Following that, Smith regained his job and embarked on a remarkable career that resulted in his winning the Heisman Trophy and getting the Buckeyes back in the National Championship game. They were blown out by Florida, but Smith's legacy was secured. He's been mostly a backup QB in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, with flashes of good play here and there while more than a few Browns fans clamored for their native son to be brought back home to play for their favorite team (not gonna happen).

Tressel got off scot free from both instances with his reputation in tact. Buckeye fans lauded Tressel, sang songs about him, named their kids after him, dressed up for Haloween as him. Unfortunately, die-hard Buckeye fans can be a tad bit obnoxious, but you get the point. As long as Tressel owned "that team up North," kept churning out top recruiting classes and had the Buckeyes in the national title hunt every single year, that was all that mattered.

Until today.

Before I get in on this rant, Joe Cleveland would like everyone to know that I am, in fact, an Ohio State Buckeye fan and a Michigan hater. I don't exactly bleed Scarlet and Gray, as the Browns have always been my first true-love when it comes to football. However, when it comes to college football, I root for Ohio State first and foremost; always have, always will. That being said ...

I took a listen to sports-talk radio on my way to an assignment prior to the press conference, and you should have heard the shilling going on for "Lord Tressel." Idiots went as far as to say that the two Yahoo reporters were from Michigan and "planted" the story to make Ohio State look bad (really? Are you that delusional, Buckeye Fan?) The hosts of the program lambasted anyone who tried to speak unkind of "Lord Tressel," even going so far as suggestng to someone to go to the NCAA with their allegations of what he was up to at Youngstown State if they had the "proof."

Take off your Scarlet and Gray glasses, folks. Your "Lord" is a sham, just like every other college football coach out there.

Ohio State decided to fine Tressel and suspend him for the first two games of 2011. So, they'll be without five players for five games and without their head coach for two of them. Way to get off to a great start, Buckeyes. And, they have no one to blame but themselves.

What's amazing is that Tressel can get away with decieving his bosses and still keep his job. And, if you think Tressel is going to resign, think again. Today was the perfect opportunity for him to leave, and he sat there, stoically steadfast, barely admitting he did something wrong.

No, the only way Ohio State is going to get rid of Tressel is if they fire him. And, trust me, they don't want to fire him. Not with the way he makes money hand over fist for the university. Not with the way he's turned their college football program into one of the best in the country. Not after he turned the name "John Cooper" into an afterthought, a "who was the coach before Tressel?" afterthought.

It's amazing how much Tressel is becoming like the guy he emulated, Woody Hayes. Woody was God, Jesus and Satan all rolled into one as the head coach of the Buckeyes. Woody was a cantankerous son of a bitch who was hated by his opponents, hated by some of his players, and hated by some in the media. But, everyone respected Woody. Woody hated Michigan. Therefore, Buckeye fans LOVED Woody. Woody pushed his car from Michigan into Ohio because he didn't want to spend any money on Michigan gas, as folklore has it. Nevermind the fact that he punched an opposing player on the sidelines during his final game, which resulted in his "I guess we have to" firing. Woody is a legend.

It appears that Tressel may have his "punching the opposing player" moment if more and more comes out about his deceptions and his underhanded tactics. For some Buckeye fans, it was their "Say it ain't so, Joe" moment. You would have thought someone kicked their dog and pissed in their Cheerios with the news that Tressel actually did sit on some e-mails months before the school found out and that they had to suspend him.

There are already rumors that Urban Meyer could be a possible replacement for Tressel when, and if, Tressel quits or gets fired or mutually departs. Meyer is from Ohio originally. And, of course, the Bob Stoops rumors could be out there again, or the Jon Gruden rumors (both were rumored candidates when Tressel originally took the job over from Cooper).

Then, there was always the rumors about Tressel's interest in coaching the Cleveland Browns. Something tells me he might have better off jumping off SS Buckeye when he had the chance three years ago, when the Browns were clearly angling to get rid of Romeo Crennel and Tressel's name popped up as a possible candidate. With Holmgren running the ship, there's no way Tressel would get hired now. Maybe as some type of assistant or advisor, but not as the head coach.

Just like many Buckeye fans were ready to throw Terrelle Pryor overboard following the revolations that he sold his Gold Pants trinkets (given to Buckeyes for beating Michigan every year) and his Most Valuable Player Award from the Rose Bowl for some new ink, some are ready to wash their hands of the guy they once idolized.

Tressel still has his job, and our society is, by and large, a forgiving one, so if Tressel can get back to the business of winning football games (especially against Michigan), fans will turn a blind eye to what happened. If Tressel becomes the "Straight-arrow Gennaro" that everyone envisioned him to be  after this, more power to him.

Tressel could run for Governor of Ohio and win easily if he wanted. Today, not so much. The curtain has been pulled back on the Wizard of Oz. We'll see if it's truly a horse of a different color after all.

Joe Cleveland would like to shed a tear for the Miami Heat's recent woes, but they are only tears of laughter.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!