Jim Tressel NFL Suspension: League Sets Dangerous Precedent with Punishment

Jim Tressel, the Indianapolis Colts and the NFL can call it what they will, but the league's stench is all over the "self-recommended" suspension handed down to the football coach today.

The former Ohio State Buckeyes coach was hired as a consultant with the Colts over the weekend, but now won't see the field until at least Week 7.

Tressel has made a spectacle of holidays this summer, even prompting NFL folks like Adam Schefter to ask, "Wonder what he is planning for Halloween?" This suspension on Labor Day comes on the heels of his resignation on Memorial Day.

When the news broke of Tressel joining the league, many wondered if he'd suffer the same fate as his former quarterback, Terrelle Pryor.

The answer, although consistent in nature, is pushing the league dangerously close to a disciplinary position on NCAA infractions.

This is not where the league needs to be.

Both Pryor's and Tressel's infractions took place prior to their employment in the NFL.

The quarterback, who was lucky to be allowed in the supplemental draft to begin with, was almost certainly going to face some sort of disciplinary action upon his arrival in the league despite breaking NCAA rules.

Roger Goodell appears to have made a concession by allowing him to enter the league this year in the first place, and he wasn't going to avoid the buzzsaw that is Goodell's punishing hand.

Allowing Tressel to go unpunished wouldn't be just in the wake of Pryor's punishment, either. But while these two particular situations go hand in hand, the same cannot be said for the rest of the infractions making headlines these days.

Do the NFL and Goodell go forward from here continuously punishing entering players and coaches should they violate NCAA law?

Do the NFL and Goodell retroactively go back and punish current players that broke NCAA law while in college?

This situation is deeper than just cars, tattoos and the two big-name Ohio State Buckeyes entering the NFL in 2011.

Tressel's punishment already signifies a standard being set. The NCAA and NFL are hardly the same thing, and the NFL is now creating a situation where it is forcing compliance with NCAA rule just to gain entry into the league.

The players, coaches and owners are more than enough for the league to worry about without stepping into the collegiate game.

The NFL, Colts and Tressel had no choice but to impose a similar punishment to the coach as they did the player.

But now the question becomes where does it stop?

The NFL walks a lot of fine lines, and eventually one of them is going to snap. This particular line would be a bad one to cross.