After a five month saga involving investigations into Ohio State University and several of it's players, Jim Tressel resigned on Memorial Day. The fact that he left the university is not surprising on it's own, but what is surprising is that he left of his own accord.
Tressel was originally suspended for two games by the university due to his players getting deals on cars, selling championship rings and jerseys, and parting with team items for money. Meanwhile, the players that were mainly involved were suspended for five games. With all of the outrage over the token suspension that he was given, Tressel added on another three games to his own punishment. Now, as the scandal continues to deepen and his knowledge of the situation has proven to be more extensive than previously thought, Tressel has resigned rather than continue to face the scrutiny that he is under.
Sure, it is easy to vilify Tressel for looking the other way, and not being forthright with investigators. It's easy to make him the bad guy in all of this, and the fact that very few people are running to his defense speaks volumes. But what is lost in all of this is that Ohio State University and Jim Tressel are not the only ones doing these things. This happens everywhere.
Colleges provide scholarships for their athletes - this is true. But what do they provide for housing and for meals? Where do these kids get the money to go out and have fun? It's easy to say that they should get a job, but if they are expected to carry a certain GPA, AND practice forty hours a week, where is the time to be employed? The rigors of a full-time college schedule can be quite daunting on their own, never mind trying to learn a playbook and be a part of a team expected to contend for a national championship every year.
If the NCAA really wanted to dig into every program, they would find skeletons in every closet. However, the NCAA likes the status quo, where they slap down a few schools dumb enough to get caught and turn a blind eye to the rest. If Tressel is truly guilty of anything, it is getting caught.
The NCAA and these schools make obscene amounts of money from their college football and basketball athletes, yet none of the players see a dime of it. If the NCAA was serious about stopping these situations, they would give the athletes a weekly stipend to take care of their day to day, and not have to resort to selling a jersey to make rent. If the choice is to break the rules and have a place to stay or follow the rules and be homeless, which would you do?
But the NCAA is more concerned with upholding the facade of the 'student-athlete' and the supposed amateur aspect of their game, claiming that it is for the good of these kids. If they truly cared about the students, they would find ways to keep them from having to worry about whether or not they should be signing an autograph to get food.
Tressel, while at fault, is hardly the only bad guy in all of this. The entire system is rotten to the core.
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