Tressel Let Me Down

25 April 2011

– by Mike Murray

My support for Jim Tressel has always had less to do with his ability to engineer victory on the gridiron than with the way he comported himself as a human being. It was my firm belief that he valued integrity above all else. I have publicly expressed (on more than one occasion) this sentiment: “Regardless of the outcome on Saturday afternoon, Coach Tressel will make us proud all week long.”

Recent events have shaken my confidence in that assertion. I realize that there are probably elements of the scandal of which I will never be aware. I can’t get inside Tressel’s head; I can’t determine his true motivation(s).

But what I do know — based on the coach’s own, belated admissions — is disturbing enough. Tressel knowingly covered up violations committed by his players — thereby committing a violation of his own — and subsequently lied about doing so. More than once. In writing. Lied to Ohio State University officials. Lied to the NCAA.

I feel let down. And deeply disappointed. Succeeding in sports counts for little, if you fail in the game of life. That is a lesson once proudly preached by Tressel. It’s hard to say now if he never really believed that, or if he simply “lost his way” for a while.

Nobody is perfect; we all make mistakes. Lord knows, I’ve made my share. And so I am not prepared to condemn Jim Tressel. But I will never look at him in quite the same way, either.

Berea Pundit