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From Wikipedia: Is bad part of Jim Tressel’s YSU past relevant?
While scrolling through Jim Tressel’s page on Wikipedia, one finds a message just inside the section on his time at Youngstown State. It says:
The neutrality of this section is disputed.
What you find when clicking on the link to discuss the issue is an interesting take on the extent of a coach’s responsibilities. Apparently, one user has twice added a paragraph into the YSU section that reads like this:
While at YSU, Tressel’s football program was investigated for major NCAA infractions. It was found that on numerous occasions during the period beginning August - September 1988 and continuing through the spring of 1992, a representative of the institution’s athletic interests, who was at the time a member and chairperson of the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees, gave at least $10,000 in cash and checks to a football student-athlete for his personal use. In the fall of 1988, the athletics booster instructed the football student-athlete to contact a business associate regarding the use of automobiles. The football student-athlete contacted the business associate who provided the free use of automobiles to the eligible football student-athlete.
This story has become well-known and to some has called into question Tressel’s squeaky-clean image, especially after NCAA violations involving Maurice Clarett and Troy Smith. But, you can’t read it in Tressel’s Wikipedia biography.
The user who added it argues that Tressel was the head football coach and therefore “was thus responsible for the YSU football team, it’s highly relevant to the subject matter.”
Others disagree:
… while yes, Tressel was responsible for the team’s operations, he cannot be (and wasn’t) held accountable for what happened outside the limits of his own personal actions and/or guidelines he set for the team. It was a booster, not a member of the coaching staff. So far as the matter in question is concerned, the info belongs on the YSU football team article, not Tressel’s
So, just how much should be attached to a coach’s biography? I didn’t take the time to look through Lou Holtz’s, but he has been criticized for leaving programs behind that later face violations apparently done during his tenure.
Most Ohio State fans will tell you that the YSU incident doesn’t mean much because it was the booster’s fault, not Tressel’s. Others say it is a symptom of Tressel’s willingness to break NCAA rules.
It’s a disagreement we find over one little paragraph on Wikipedia.
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Comments
By daniel savvy
May 7, 2008 12:28 AM | Link to this
Jimmy T is too smart to get caught up in a scandle like this. I’m pretty sure it’s understood that the booster’s pay the student athletes…and Jimmy T understands the don’t ask, don’t tell policy. Let’s face it…every big program in the nation pays their student athlete’s in one form or another…just don’t get caught.By daniel savvy
May 7, 2008 12:30 AM | Link to this
Jimmy T is too smart to get caught up in a scandle like this. I’m pretty sure it’s understood that the booster’s pay the student athletes…and Jimmy T understands the don’t ask, don’t tell policy. Let’s face it…every big program in the nation pays their student athlete’s in one form or another…just don’t get caught.By deuce
May 7, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this
Don’t forget who those people are that accept the bribes and benefits from any boosters. It’s the student-athletes themselves. You can’t blame a coaching staff unless they were involved. Some of these boosters have more money than Tressel makes.By Dave
May 7, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
It would be nice if the coach could just coach. But he also needs to recruit, tutor students, etc. As Harry Truman said, the buck stops here. The head coach, AD and school president should ALL be held responsible.By Todd
May 7, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
It must be a slow news day to write an article about a comment someone posted on Wikipedia that has been deleted several times. Shouldn’t the DDN use this space to bash the Dayton Flyers or promote a new “Gem City Jam”?By Todd Charske
May 7, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
Tressel is a class act. Stop trying to bring down good people with irrelavent stuff. Todd CharskeBy Todd Charske
May 7, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
Tressel is a class act. Stop trying to bring down good people with irrelavent stuff. Todd CharskeBy mike g.
May 8, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
GO BUCKS! NOW THIS HOW I C IT. WE PLAYED TWICE FOR NAL CHAMP GAME. AND WE LOOKED OUT OF SHAPE 53 DAYS OFF WILL DO THAT TO U, OVER THE BIGEST PARTY MONTHS TILL NEW YEARS. WE NEED TO PLAY 2 OR 3 MORE GAMES IN THE BIG TEN. SO WE CAN BE RESPECTABLE COME JAN 3,2008By Bill
May 8, 2008 1:23 PM | Link to this
Why do DDN writers have such a fascination with Wikipedia, and why would one write a blog based on a comment that has already been deleted at least once? This is a joke. Another DDN writer copied material straight out of Wikipedia and didn’t bother to credit it.By Buckeye Tom
June 18, 2008 8:10 PM | Link to this
As a lifelong Buckeye and graduate of Ohio State, I find this man to be the epitome of hypocrisy. He is a win at all costs coach who will leave a dirty mark on OSU forever. There are dirty boosters all over this program, but no one cares; they all turn a blind eye in the name of a few wins over Michigan.By Blue Marauder
June 19, 2008 1:07 AM | Link to this
Break the news to Laura gently, please.