A Coach's Inappropriate Silence

Yesterday, the football coach at Ohio State, Jim Tressel, was fined and suspended next season. His fine of $250,000 and the two-game suspension came due to the fact that he neglected to notify the NCAA officials about an email he received suggesting that two of his players were involved in illegal activities in April. The email implied that the two players were involved in federal drug trafficking and the sale of memorabilia. Upon receiving the email, Tressel replied saying that he would look into the matter; however, he never said anything to his athletic director or the compliance department for more than nine months.

I am not saying that what Coach Tressel did was right, but I understand where he might have been coming from. When a coach learns of a player’s betrayal to his teammates, it can be hard to face the truth and if nothing else, he might have just wanted to protect the team. This year, my show choir faced a similar challenge. We were on a trip to an out-of-state competition and the day before we were supposed to perform, nine kids were caught under the influence of illegal drugs. Having to perform the next day knowing that 20% of my team chose to put themselves before the whole team was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. What made it worse was that those of us who didn’t break the rules (or the law) were the ones who had to fix their mistakes; we had to deal with their problems.

The OSU football team would have been the ones who had to make up for those two players illegal actions. However, as the head coach of the football team, Tressel is obligated to report all illegal or rule-breaking actions. By letting these actions be swept under the rug, Tressel was breaking the rules himself and not setting a good example for his own team. While I understand why he might have done what he did (if that was even his point of view and mind-set), I think he completely made the wrong decision. NCAA athletes have no more leeway with the law than any other college student, and thus, those players deserve to be punished for their actions.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6195035- ESPN Jim Tressel Video