A Few Words on Recent Developments

Ohio State has distanced itself from Jim Tressel in the official account of wrongdoing. They've hired separate representation from Tressel, and in both the self-report they sent to the NCAA and public statements, Ohio State's administration has made it clear that Tressel's violations stand apart from the program. Many in the media have speculated that this is a poor sign for Tressel's future at Ohio State, but it is actually a necessary one for securing it. Tressel is only safe as long as Ohio State is safe, and Ohio State is only safe if Tressel's violations aren't tied to some wide-ranging institutional failure.

When Ohio State received its "notice of allegations" from the NCAA on April 25th and the ensuing media frenzy hit top speed, I wrote the following to calm Buckeye fans teetering on the nearest ledge.

By limiting the charges to Jim Tressel, the NCAA has signaled to the university that they do not have a case against the compliance department or oversight process at Ohio State. Any penalties applied to Ohio State, then, will come solely from the specific violations Jim Tressel committed-- lying to the NCAA and playing ineligible players....

Ohio State cannot face institutional charges without new information first presenting itself. As long as the case remains static, there is no possibility of repeat offender status or a lack of institutional control.

To put it simply, the damage is contained to Jim Tressel.

These statements remain true today, but possible NCAA violations by Ohio State players purchasing used cars could institute the nightmare scenario for every Buckeye fan. What was warned above, the revelation of new information, holds the potential to shift the NCAA's focus from Jim Tressel as an individual to Ohio State as an institution, a change that would endanger Tressel's job and Ohio State's defense.

The used-car issue is particularly troublesome, because Ohio State has an internal policy of evaluating every car purchased by Buckeye players. It is the compliance department's job to review each purchase, from the obvious, like the price, to the detailed, like possible booster involvement. It seems inconceivable that the compliance department would fail to notice a pattern of players purchasing cars for inappropriately low prices.

Of course, we don't yet know how low the prices actually were. The Dispatch has only released a figure for Thaddeus Gibson's purchase, a figure which turned out to be incorrect, and an average price of $11,600 on the used cars sold. Nothing may turn up as a result of the investigation, which would be a welcome outcome for an athletic department suddenly under siege.

If violations did occur, however, there is real danger for Ohio State. The compliance department's oversight errors could reveal systemic issues, leading to a "failure to monitor" charge from the NCAA.  That charge, combined with Tressel's separate violations and the original violations committed by the tattoo six, would then leave Ohio State susceptible to repeat offender status, guaranteeing serious penalties applied to the institution and Tressel.

Boise State is living through this scenario right now. The Broncos were hit with penalties for assorted minor violations that occurred in 2009, but their women's tennis program committed a major violation less than a year later, forcing administration to fire the coach and self-report to the NCAA. The NCAA did not look kindly upon the repeat offense and charged Boise State with "lack of institutional control," an accusation that Boise State will respond to on June 10th.

Ohio State is not yet in those dire straits, but we can conclude from the Broncos' case that it would get quite ugly if the used-car purchases were deemed violations. The NCAA would issue a new "notice of allegations," Ohio State could not pin its failures on one individual, and another hearing would take place, this time with Ohio State, and not Tressel, the focus of attention.