Jim Tressel NCAA Violations: Where Will Ohio State Rank Among Latest Scandals?
Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes are in trouble. How big that trouble might be remains to be seen. It all started this past December when five players, including Terrel Pryor, were suspended for selling items to a local merchant.
The NCAA came down with suspensions that would begin in the 2011 season. Tressel maintained that he had only found out about the students dealing in December.
Yahoo Sports has uncovered that this may not be true. The Buckeyes will soon be the topic of every major sports show once again. Tressel very well could find himself on the hot seat as well.
Where does this potential disaster rank among the most current scandals in college football? Read ahead to find out.
Honorable Mention: Dez Bryant
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Dez Bryant is great friends with Deion Sanders. There is nothing at all wrong with being friends with a former NFL star while attending college. The NCAA just wants to know everything that occurs.
Bryant allegedly spoke with a number of Sanders agents. He met them while working out and attending parties at Sanders' house. There is nothing illegal about those actions.
But when Bryant was questioned about his relationships, he chose to lie. That cost him to miss out on the rest of the 2009 season. Bryant very well could have won the Heisman that year.
10. Houston Nutt
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We all knew that a sexy scandal would rear its ugly head on this list. Houston Nutt was enjoying success as the coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was enjoying life so much that he chose to send a bevy of text messages to a woman. One that I might add was not his wife.
One of the messages was sent minutes before Arkansas lost to Wisconsin in the Capitol One Bowl. The allegations and innuendo followed Nutt all through the calendar year.
In November he mounted a hard fought win over the top ranked LSU Tigers. The win did little for his image. He resigned three days later.
Do not cry for him. He is now the head coach at Ole Miss.
9. Declan Sullivan
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The Notre Dame family lost one of their own last October. Declan Sullivan was a team videographer, and loved his duty. He tragically went up a platform to take video of the latest practice.
At the time, winds were racing at 40-miles per hour. The platform eventually collapsed and Sullivan did not survive. The school, including head coach Brian Kelly, came under intense scrutiny. They questioned why anyone was up on the platform in those conditions.
The University later submitted a statement wherein they took responsibility. At the same time they gave Kelly a vote of confidence.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
8. Jeremiah Masoli
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In January of 2010, Jermiah Masoli and teammate Garrett Embry were targeted as suspects in an on campus theft.
Masoli would later plead guilty to felony second-degree burglary, receiving 12 months probation. Head coach suspended the budding star quarterback for a year. Then in June, Masoli was cited for misdemeanor drug and traffic charges. Kelly dismissed him from the team altogether.
Proving once again that we send young men the wrong signals, Ole Miss welcomed Masoli with wide arms. The NCAA negated his eligibility to play, then later rescinded. Masoli started the 2010 season without missing a second.
It must be nice to have a cannon for an arm.
7. Scooter McDougle
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This may be pushing the boundaries of latest a bit as the events took place in 2004-2005, but this is just too good.
Scooter McDougle allegedly lead the charge in an on-campus point shaving operation while attending The University of Toledo. McDougle was given money and electronics in lieu of his services.
He bought fellow athletes out. The deal was that they would feign injury during key games. The biggest question in all of this is, who is betting on the University of Toledo?
6. Mike Leach
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Sometimes if you stick to your guns, you get fired. If you don't believe me, take the case of Mike Leach. Leach was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was a station he held since 2000.
On December 16th, 2009, Texas Tech player Adam Jones was dealt a concussion. Doctors told him to sit out practice for a while. Leach had other plans. He ordered Jones to sit in the corner of a dark shed.
Jones' father took a great deal of opposition to how his son was dealt with. We should note that his father is Craig James, the former SMU and New England Patriots running back, and current ESPN college football analyst.
The university gave Leach an ultimatum to apologize. When he relented, they canned him. At least he made his point though. Whatever that might be.
5. Maurkice Pouncey
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Before the Pro Bowl center could make his mark in the NFL, he had to hone his skills at the University of Florida. That is where Pouncey allegedly received his first big pay day.
The allegations submit that Pouncey received in the upwards of $100,000 between the SEC Title game in 2009 and the 2010 Sugar Bowl. The Gators beat Cincinnati in that game, but the Sugar Bowl title may prove fleeting.
The NCAA is still investigating the matter. If found guilty, Florida would have to resign that victory. Pouncey has since officially renounced the allegations as completely false.
4. Cam and Cecil Newton
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The past year was both astounding, and forgettable for the Newtons. Young Cam Newton won a BCS Title for Auburn, and netted himself a Heisman Trophy.
The family also had to endure the constant sting of a potential scandal. News leaked during the 2010 season that Cecil Newton, Cam's father, had attempted to extract money from Mississippi State for his signature to play there.
It has not yet been proved that Cam had any inkling to the alleged going on of his father. It is that fact that allowed him to play in the BCS Championship game as well as hold onto his Heisman, which he won in a landslide.
3. North Carolina
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The 2010 season for the North Carolina Tar Heels looked promising. They had a tremendous amount of talent, and were all set to make some noise.
It is too bad that some of the best talent was taking money from agents and allegedly breezing through classes. It is even worse for the program that the NCAA caught wind.
When the smoke cleared, North Carolina was forced to suspend 13 players from their opener against LSU. That is a good chunk of the roster to go missing right before the season begins. I guess these schools will finally keep an eye on their players. Well, maybe not.
2. Ohio State and Jim Tressel
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By now, we all know that Terrel Pryor and four other Ohio State football players will be suspended from playing the first five games of the 2011 season.
The players were found to have sold memorabilia in exchange for free tattoos. The scandal received a huge boost in intrigue recently. Head coach Jim Tressel has always maintained that he found out about the player's dalliances in December.
He then went right to the athletic director, and from there the investigation began. He was seen as disappointed in the news when it hit in December 2010. Recent findings by Yahoo Sports shows that Tressel may have known as far back as April 2010 though.
This knowledge without action would have serious consequences for the program, and Tressel. This is something that could gain a lot more traction. For the time being it sits here on the list. But if Tressel is forced out, you can bet it is a number one contender.
1. Reggie Bush
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The Reggie Bush scandal hit in full force in 2010. We knew that there was smoke in 2006, but it all became official in 2010.
The man that blew past defenders while wearing a USC uniform can never show his face on campus again. That is because his dealing directly resulted in heavy sanctions against the university.
When Bush was at USC, he enjoyed many amenities, including a house that his family lived in rent free. There were also allegations of cash payments. All of this the NCAA verified. After a couple years of deliberation, the NCAA brought down the hammer on USC.
It also lead to Reggie giving up his Heisman Trophy. It is little consolation that he has enough money to make a dozen of those things.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
