Lesson learned.

For a guy whose career as a football coach is in tatters, whose actions took his school into a probationary period in which it’s still suffering, Jim Tressel is remarkably at peace with Tatgate.

Although it might have ultimately cost Tressel his coaching career — he also received a five-year show-cause penalty in the NCAA’s sanctions, which would result in penalties for any NCAA school that hires him as coach within that time window — he did not express regret for failing to report his players’ violations.

“If my fault is on the loyalty side, I’ll take it,” Tressel said.

Tressel said OSU’s violations were a result of “personal decisions” made by his players.

“Sometimes they’re the right decisions, and sometimes they’re the wrong,” Tressel said.

Not that the distinction matters, evidently.  ’Cause he’s a loyal guy.

Jesus, think that “show cause” penalty was justified?  An AD would have to be a certified moron to hire Tressel to run a football program again.  Ever.

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Cover ups are expensive.

Tatgate isn’t cheap.

As the old saying goes, a dollar here, a dollar there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.

That’s mighty big of Jim Tressel.

Sometimes you don’t need to read past a header.  This is one of those times.

Tuesday morning buffet

Time to grab a bite.

• Gordon Gee continues to say the darnedest things.
• Mike Bianchi doubles down on the Urban Meyer bashing.
• With the new kickoff rules, the NCAA intends to monitor directional kicking.
• Wishful thinking:  “Every day Craig shares his message with voters, he gathers more support,” said Meredith Turney, a spokeswoman for James.
• Harvey Updyke’s lawyer:  Wess has argued previously that the trees, which are the focal point of post-game celebrations, are not venerated objects because they are “routinely rolled with toilet paper.”  It’s gonna be a fun trial.
• Jordan Jenkins has the lowdown on some position moves on Georgia’s defense.
• SEC coaches were wrong about the effects of an expanded conference schedule the last time it happened.
• The Red and Black gets its groove back:  writer admits she doesn’t know the facts behind the Commings suspension as well as Richt, but still finds the coach to have been too lenient in his treatment of the player.

Wednesday morning buffet

Start your day out with a few tempting morsels.

• If Jarvis Jones is saying anything other than “I didn’t know about that”, he’s either crazy or ill-informed.
• Stay classy, Big 12.
• Andy Staples’ call to arms for a big boy college football division is here.
• The farce that is Ohio State’s athletic department continues.
• The over/under on Georgia’s 2011 win total is 8.5, per the Vegas Hilton.
• I guess Texas folks are hoping for a little regression to the mean magic for their team this season.  Bill Connelly says that’s not the biggest problem.
• The NCAA proposes what I’m sure will come to be called the Cecil Newton Rule.  The earliest it could go into effect would be April of next year, so any parents interested in shopping their sons still have time.
• The Nuttster says this year’s Egg Bowl is “personal”.
• The Big 12 continues to have fun with the Longhorn Network.
• And The ACC and SEC Blog wonders why things have been so quiet on the arrest front in Athens.

Ignorance is bliss.

Honestly, is there a safer bet in dealing with the NCAA than playing dumb?

The NCAA has notified Ohio State University that it will not face charges of failing to appropriately monitor its football team as part of a memorabilia-sales scandal that brought down former Coach Jim Tressel.

The NCAA has not uncovered any new, unreported violations during its investigation and agrees with Ohio State that Tressel was the only university official aware of violations by his players and that he failed to report them.

“Other than (two redacted player names) and (Ted) Sarniak, there is no indication that Tressel provided or discussed the information he received … with anyone else, particularly athletics administrators,” the NCAA reported in an enforcement staff case summary…

If Tressel hadn’t gotten the e-mail that set this whole sorry episode off, odds are he would be walking the Buckeye sideline this season.  Anybody can do dumb, as long as there’s no pesky paper trail showing otherwise.

No they can’t take that away from me.

As part of the brutal punishment that Ohio State has elected to inflict upon itself, the 2010 players will be allowed to keep their Big Ten championship rings.

Save ‘em for a rainy day, fellas.  You never know when another tattoo might come in handy.

*********************************************************************

UPDATE:  Stewart Mandel thinks what we see may be all they get.

Ohio State has a sense of humor. Who knew?

This has to be a joke, right?

Ohio State University is wiping its stellar 2010 football season from the record books as self-imposed punishment for major NCAA violations, sources told The Dispatch.

But it is not suggesting that the team lose scholarships or be banned from postseason play.

The university submitted its response to the NCAA today, addressing allegations that then-coach Jim Tressel lied and allowed ineligible players to compete by failing to report that they had sold OSU-issued memorabilia to a tattoo-parlor owner.

Sources familiar with the university’s response also told The Dispatch that Ohio State is admitting major violations of NCAA regulations, but says it should not face harsh punishment because no OSU official other than Tressel was aware of player violations.

Ooh, wiping 2010 from the books!  That’s gonna leave a mark.

At least Jim Tressel will pay the price for… what’s that, you say?

Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel will receive more than $52,000 from the university and won’t have to pay a $250,000 fine for his involvement in a scandal that has tarnished the school’s athletics program, sources familiar with the settlement told The Dispatch…

… He will officially retire so that he also can collect his unpaid sick and vacation time, and use health-insurance coverage for him and his family under the plan available to all state retirees, the sources said.

Go and sin no more, Jim.

I’m surprised OSU isn’t asking the NCAA for an apology for making the school spend the time working up a response.  Seriously, we all mock the NCAA for being clueless, but the Buckeyes seem to be taking the mockery to a new level with this.  It’s almost as if they’re daring the NCAA to smack ‘em back.

One man’s problem is another man’s tasty malt beverage.

From the folks at SweetWater Brewing:

Our sweet, innocent and moral El Dressel lost his way as Brutus led him down a dark alley to recruit tattoos and car loans for the Columbus hops in an effort to stack his on-field Double IPA recipe with the most aggressive hops O-round. Unfortunately El Dressel was discovered, humiliated and banished, leaving a permanent wrinkle in his sweater vest and instantly creating the Browneyed Buckeye!!!

Get it while you can, because just like last year’s Sugar Bowl win, this one will be gone before you know it!

Too bad it’s only available on draft.  This would make a great looking bottle:

Somebody should ship Gordon Gee a keg.

(h/t reader J. Scott Boss)

Hey, Ohio State! You’ve just won a bunch of NCAA sanctions; what are you going to do next?

Well, they won’t be going to Hawaii.