Jim Tressel Resigns: How He Will Be Remembered in Columbus

Jim Tressel and Ohio State are no more. 

Perhaps the greatest coach the storied Ohio State football program has ever seen was forced to resign yesterday amid controversy surrounding the tattoo-parlor debacle. 

Tressel handed in his formal resignation after returning from vacation Sunday night and allegations have continued to come to the forefront in the past 24 hours. Just today, Sports Illustrated broke a story of 28 players who may have been involved in illegal activities over the years, dating back to 2002. 

Whether Tressel knew about this and turned his head remains a mystery. Some may think he has been behind this since he arrived on campus.

I, on the other hand, tend to disagree.  

I do not believe Tressel has known about this since the allegations began in 2002. I also do not believe he is a dirty coach who recruited bad kids. 

There have never been any recruiting violations attached to Jim Tressel. He brought in student-athletes that fit well into his system and allowed them to make their own decisions. 

Tressel, like all other college football coaches, does not have the resources to watch over every player on the roster. 

Some of his kids made bad choices and while Tressel should take some of the responsibility for this, it does not make him a dirty coach. 

It does, however reflect poorly on him and the program. 

I believe the biggest mistake Tressel made was not reporting the allegations involving free tattoos when he received the e-mail last year. 

This made the cover up seem worse than the crime. Tressel simply incriminated himself. 

Ohio State was one of the top teams in the country heading into last season and Tressel was covering for his players on a team many thought had a chance to win the National Championship.

That was a dumb move and one that eventually cost him his job.

It also cost the Ohio State program a lot of respect in Columbus and across the country. 

The media and fans of other programs will continue to blast the Buckeyes for the weeks and months to come. 

It is certain to be tough times in Columbus. Fans react in a number of different ways, but there tend to be three different opinions on Tressel.

There are those in Columbus who will defend Tressel to the end and will always have his back because he is their coach and can do no wrong.

Some hate Tressel for what he has done to the Ohio State football program and the way he left it. They will despise him forever; some of those people have even blamed Ohio State's student-run newspaper, The Lantern, for Tressel losing his job.

Then there are those, including myself who fall somewhere in the middle.

I will never condone Tressel for what he did, but I am also very happy Jim Tressel spent 10 years in Columbus.

I also believe there are many positives to take away from the Jim Tressel tenure. 

For The Ohio State University, all is not lost and the decade Tressel spent in Columbus, certainly will be remembered as one of the greatest 10-year spans in Buckeye football history. 

He will leave Ohio State with a 106-22 overall record, a 66-14 mark in Big Ten play, a 2002 National Championship and of course a 9-1 record against Michigan. 

The man took Ohio State to eight BCS bowl appearances in his 10 seasons. He produced countless NFL draft picks and nine beat downs of Michigan. 

I will never completely forgive Tressel for what he did to the Buckeye program, particularly the way he left it, but I would like to thank the man who made Ohio State the most dominant program over the past decade. 

I am certain there will come a time in early fall, where I will glance over to the Buckeye sideline expecting to see Tressel. 

The man in the sweater-vest will be nowhere to be found.

He will certainly be missed on Gameday in the Shoe next season.