Jim Tressel Could Face Dire Consequences in Ohio State Tattoo Flap

The unthinkable may be playing out before our eyes in the world of Big Ten football, thanks to a story that Yahoo! Sports broke yesterday evening. It seems that the Buckeye paragon of virtue, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, may have known about improper benefits received by his players some eight months before the allegations originally came to light in December 2010. What's especially damning about these revelations, if they prove to be true, is that not only did Tressel keep the information to himself, but he trotted out the players in question for an entire season. That season, like so many others under Tressel, ended in a Big Ten title and a victory over Michigan. Depending on how this all plays out, it's possible that 2010 success of that could be vacated ... and so could the coaching position in Columbus.

To this point, Tressel has mostly managed to stay above the fray and tint of controversy during his decade with the Buckeyes. Whether it was Craig Krenzel's DUI or Maurice Clarett's myriad troubles or this latest tattoo scandal, Tressel managed to deflect blame from himself and the program. It was the player in question who transgressed, after all, and Tressel could hardly be expected to keep an eye on his charges at all times. Right?

Now, though, the possibility exists that Red Vest was warned about his players' activities yet chose to sit on the information rather than act on it decisively. If he did fail to report such information, his contract could be terminated, and there is still the possibility that games or the entire season will have to be forfeited, pending the NCAA investigation. For now, there is an uncharacteristic stain on Columbus, not just for a handful of players and the vaunted Ohio State football program, but for the previously untouchable Tressel, too.

One has to wonder how the Big Ten season would have unfolded had Ohio State not fielded Terrelle Pryor and company for the entire season. Would the Buckeyes have won the Big Ten? Unlikely, since they finished in a three-way tie at the top as it was. Would they have had a winning season? Probably. A stickier one ... would Rich Rodriguez still have his job at Michigan? A win over the Buckeyes could possibly have kept RichRod in cold climes for another season.

You could look at this situation as Tressel's preparing for the expanded Big ten come next fall. After all, with the controversy swirling, Nebraska should feel right at home!