Embattled head coach Jim Tressel stepped down on Monday, after months of NCAA investigations, suspensions, and scandal rocked The Ohio State University football program.
In a letter to Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Tressel said, “After meeting with university officials, we agreed that it is in the best interest of Ohio State that I resign as head football coach. The recent situation has been a distraction for our great university and I make this decision for the greater good of our school.”
Luke Fickell, who was already set to fill in for Tressel as he served a five-game suspension to start the season, will now take over as interim head coach for the entire 2011–2012 football season. Ohio State will reportedly not recruit a new head coach until the football season is over.
It is hard to believe that a well-regarded coach of Tressel’s caliber ended his tenure amid scandal and NCAA sanctions. Jim Tressel was respected by his peers, not only for his work on the field, but also for his demeanor off the field. He took great pride in molding the young men he coached to be not only great football players, but to be great in life and to succeed in the classroom—a characteristic of NCAA head coaches, which is often touted but rarely seen today.
Center Mike Brewster Tweeted, “Coach Tressel was one of the most honorable men I ever had the chance of being around. He taught me endless life lessons.”
Tight end Jake Stoneburner chimed in: “Tress taught me life lessons and how to become a man. I will forever be grateful that I played for such a great man. He is irreplaceable.”
His suspension and subsequent resignation was not a result of what his players did, but because he lied to the NCAA about what he knew. It seems ironic considering honesty and integrity were cornerstones he built his program upon.
Former Buckeye quarterback and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbsteit commented that loyalty to his players may have “backfired” on the coach. “He got caught up defending his players, trying to take care of his players, to the point of holding information back from the NCAA.”
Loyalty and truthfulness came to a crossroads and Coach Tressel chose the wrong path. From that, he will learn his own a life lesson, one he will not soon forget.
In a letter to Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Tressel said, “After meeting with university officials, we agreed that it is in the best interest of Ohio State that I resign as head football coach. The recent situation has been a distraction for our great university and I make this decision for the greater good of our school.”
Luke Fickell, who was already set to fill in for Tressel as he served a five-game suspension to start the season, will now take over as interim head coach for the entire 2011–2012 football season. Ohio State will reportedly not recruit a new head coach until the football season is over.
The End of and an Era
It is hard to believe that a well-regarded coach of Tressel’s caliber ended his tenure amid scandal and NCAA sanctions. Jim Tressel was respected by his peers, not only for his work on the field, but also for his demeanor off the field. He took great pride in molding the young men he coached to be not only great football players, but to be great in life and to succeed in the classroom—a characteristic of NCAA head coaches, which is often touted but rarely seen today.
Center Mike Brewster Tweeted, “Coach Tressel was one of the most honorable men I ever had the chance of being around. He taught me endless life lessons.”
Tight end Jake Stoneburner chimed in: “Tress taught me life lessons and how to become a man. I will forever be grateful that I played for such a great man. He is irreplaceable.”
His suspension and subsequent resignation was not a result of what his players did, but because he lied to the NCAA about what he knew. It seems ironic considering honesty and integrity were cornerstones he built his program upon.
Former Buckeye quarterback and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbsteit commented that loyalty to his players may have “backfired” on the coach. “He got caught up defending his players, trying to take care of his players, to the point of holding information back from the NCAA.”
Loyalty and truthfulness came to a crossroads and Coach Tressel chose the wrong path. From that, he will learn his own a life lesson, one he will not soon forget.
