Ohio State Football Program In Hot Water Again

There was a time when it seemed that Jim Tressel could do no wrong in Columbus.

In 2002, just his second season on the job, he led the Buckeyes to an improbable BCS Crown by way of a huge upset of the great Miami Hurricanes. Since then, he’s went 85-17, earned bids in five BCS bowl games and two BCS Championship Games.

But the black-eye Ohio State’s program has absorbed the past few months following the Terrelle Pryor-tattoo-parlor scandal could cost the program wins from last season, trips to a bowl and the conference title game next season, and a great deal of respect across the nation.

And since this wasn’t an isolated incident–his previous high-profile quarterback, Troy Smith, allegedly received $500 from a booster–Tressel is now considered a “repeat offender.”

There was time when those types of accusations–coupled with his failure to win a national championship in recent seasons–might inspire a discussion about his job security.

But I don’t see any way in which the Buckeyes would even consider removing Tressel. For one, he’s an iconic figure at the University and in the region.

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And his record as a recruiter and during the regular season is as good as any figure in college football the last few decades.

But more to the point, these types of scandals seem to be poping up more and more these days, not because more rules are broken, but because the media has such a long arm and it’s so easy to access information and track phone calls, emails, digital photos and videos, etc.

It seems that no program is immune to some sort of scandal or “problem”: Even Ohio  State’s hated rival suffered its first sanction last season, because of Rich Rodriguez violations. And the Cam Newton/Auburn/Mississippi State story overshadowed the entire 2010 college football season.

Retaining Tressel isn’t an endorsement of a “dirty program”, rather just acceptance of the fact that policing the sport is virtually impossible.