Jim Tressel Resigns as Head Coach at Ohio State

Reports have surfaced that Jim Tressel has resigned as head coach at Ohio State.

ESPN is reporting that in a letter sent from Ohio State University president E. Gordon Gee to the university's trustees, Gee announced Tressel's resignation.

“I wanted to let you know that later this morning we will be announcing the resignation of Jim Tressel as head coach of the University's football program,” the letter said according to ESPN and The Columbus Dispatch.

It is expected that assistant coach Luke Fickel will replace Tressel as interim head coach of the Buckeyes.

Tressel's resignation comes amid an NCAA investigation into improper benefits given to five Ohio State players in the form of tattoos in exchange for various memorabilia from the athletes, and Tressel's failure to report the incident once he was made aware of the allegations.

Although Ohio State has verbally given Tressel support in the past, the rhetoric was increasingly concilatory.  Athletic director Gene Smith has said that Tressel should have apologized during his March 8 press conference, and the mounting legal costs in connection with the NCAA investigation was "a nightmare."

Only a few weeks ago, at the Big Ten's spring meeting, Tressel received support, not only from Smith, but also from MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, Northwestern head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, and Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne.

Regardless of the statements of support, both from within the Ohio State community and the Big Ten, Tressel's days as Ohio State's head coach are over.