Jim Tressel: Roger Goodell Must Suspend Newly Hired Colts Consultant

It looks like Jim Tressel has finally made the big jump to the NFL. The latest out of Indiana is that the Colts have hired Tressel to be their game-day consultant.

Okay, so it’s not coaching at OSU, but at least it’s a step in the right direction for the much maligned former head coach.

The news comes as a shocker to most. For those that don't believe me, here is the ESPN report on the hiring:

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The Indianapolis Colts have hired former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel as a game-day consultant.

Coach Jim Caldwell made the announcement during a conference call with reporters Friday.

Caldwell says Tressel will serve primarily as a consultant on replays, which will allow the other coaches to focus on their individual jobs without having to worry about making decisions on replay reviews.

Tressel resigned at Ohio State on May 30 following an investigation that turned up evidence his players had received improper benefits. Tressel also allegedly failed to notify the school's compliance department.

Caldwell says he chose Tressel because the two have had a good relationship for a long time and that it fills a job he'd been looking to fill for several years.

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Obviously, this is a friendly gesture by Caldwell to help out an old friend in need, but there is no doubt that this will be an extremely controversial hiring.

Even though most of Tressel’s work will come from the booth, the Colts could have hired him as a water boy and people would still be in an uproar.

There are many ways to look at this, but there is one stance that I think needs to be discussed at the very forefront of this hiring.

Tressel didn’t have a job because of all the evidence that came up against him in the improper benefits scandal with OSU. The scandal also got some of his former players in trouble, including one that has been a big name in NFL circles lately.

Yes, I am talking about new Oakland Raiders’ quarterback, Terrelle Pryor.

Tressel and Pryor were essentially the two scapegoats that OSU used to get themselves out of hot water, but now both have found greener pastures in the NFL.

However, this isn’t as clean cut as a case as you would think.

Roger Goodell and the NFL suspended Pryor for five games, which ironically enough was the same amount of games that he would have been suspended for had he stayed in the NCAA.

Goodell clearly felt that the honorable thing to do was to not let Pryor get off scot-free by entering the NFL, so he essentially enforced the NCAA’s ruling.

The commissioner is known for being stern, handing out punishments like lollipops and not putting up with anything from anyone. So shouldn’t he step in and interfere with Tressel’s new job as well?

Even though Tressel officially “resigned” as head coach at Ohio State, we all know what really happened—that was the politically correct way of letting the world know that OSU had fired him.

Just like with Pryor though, if Tressel had been allowed to stay at OSU he would have faced punishments and suspensions.

He got out of it by getting out of the university, but apparently that wasn’t enough to keep Pryor from facing suspensions in the NFL.

Why should Tressel be allowed to enter the NFL without facing any penalties?

If Goodell doesn’t suspend Jim Tressel, he will be an outright hypocrite. If he’s going to enforce NCAA standards on a player, he has to do the same for a coach.

I told you that this hiring is going to cause controversy and it’s going to start right at the top.