|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on March 10, 2011
|
For those who don't know, I used to coach wrestling at a suburban High School on the east side of Cleveland. Towards the end of my career, I found myself in the middle of an incident with parallels to what Jim Tressel faces.
It was a Saturday, late in the season, and one of my assistant coaches had taken a group of kids to a JV tournament. He called me that evening and said there was a problem. He'd been goofing around with one of the kids and had picked up the kids gym bag and spilled out the contents. One of the items that came tumbling out was a plastic bag of marijuana. The coach told me that the kid insisted it wasn't his, that he was holding it for his Uncle, and that his parents would kill him if they ever found out. The kid was scared to death and begged my coach not to tell his folks. The coach wanted to know what we should do.
My first reaction was anger--my assistant had no business fooling around with this kids stuff. If he hadn't messed with this kids personal property, we would never have known about the pot and there'd be no dilemma. But, he had done it, the drugs had been discovered, and something had to be done.
But what? Well, there was the obvious--call the kids parents. It was the sensible thing to do and would immediately solve the problem. It was their kid, he was holding drugs, and even if they were accidentally discovered, the parents would probably want to know. Another option was to talk to the athletic department and ask for their guidance. When in doubt, that's the smartest thing to do. You get advised as to what steps to take and your butt is covered. But I was pretty certain I knew what they'd say--call the parents and let them deal with it.
My assistant coach, hardly a saint in his day, was pretty convinced that the kid was telling the truth. And he knew the parents, told me they were religious, strict, and likely to beat the hell out of the kid.
At the center of everything, however, was this quandary. If I ignored it, and the school administration found out, I'd be fired. No question in my mind that my coaching job was at stake over what had taken place. And that made me anxious. I had done nothing to put myself in this situation, yet here it was. What should I do?
Well, I stalled. Since it was a Saturday night, I told my coach to call the kid and tell him we'd speak on Monday after practice. I'd hear what he had to say and make a decision as to how to proceed.
Monday came and after practice my coach, this kid and I sat down to talk. Also present was the Uncle, the alleged owner of the contraband. He was in his late 20's and insisted the kid was telling the truth. He also made clear that the parents would beat the kid silly if they found out.
So, ultimately there were two ways to go. First, the smart play--call the parents and let them handle it. Or, pretend it never happened and hope no one ever found out.
After about ten minutes of discussion, I told this kid I had decided to take him at his word. But I emphasized the need for everyone to keep quiet about it. In other words, I made a judgment that the kid was telling the truth and that I was protecting him from physical violence. And I was risking my butt over it because if anyone found out--if this kid told a friend and the word spread through school--it would cost me my job. Essentially, I was ignoring what had happened and directing a "cover up."
I was lucky. The whole thing disappeared. No one ever found out. The kid did not come out for wrestling the next season (that had been one of my stipulations) and I finished my career a few years later.
Looking back, I was stupid. Not because I risked my job. But because I took the easy way out by choosing to believe the kid and his uncle. In hindsight, lots of hard questions never really got answered. It wasn't my job to "protect" this kid from his parents. This kid had shown poor judgment in the first place--as had the Uncle (if indeed they were telling the truth)--and I had done the same. At the very least, I should have sought more guidance as to how to proceed. Instead, I did nothing. And in my case, nothing happened.
----------------------------
Tressel was not as fortunate. Hard to say for sure what happens next but if the NCAA investigates, decides there was wrong doing, and issues harsh penalties, I don't see how he survives.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Ethan Moore added to this discussion on March 10, 2011
|
Hank - thanks for sharing.
I agree that this should probably cost JT his job. I do not, however, agree that he is a fraud or a bad person, as some have stated.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
Tressel hails from Cleveland, conducts himself with humility and supports wrestling. What's not to like? I hope there is some mitigating circumstance that allows him to survive this.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Bill Watson added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
Is there information out there that JT may get more than the two games? Bc I searched all over and couldn't find anything.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Casey Talbott added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
hi bill:
osu's own self-report to the NCAA suggests that, by way of punitive action, it is/was osu's intent to suspend tressel from "several" games during the 2011 season, to reduce his salary, and to preclude him from having any involvement in spring practice or summer camps in 2011.
for reasons which are less than clear at least from the face of the report, osu then assessed the following punitive actions: 1) a public reprimand, with tressel to issue a public apology; 2) suspension for the first two games of the 2011 season; and 3) a fine of $250,000, with this money to be paid toward the costs of the investigation.
so i'll be interested in the resolution of the above discrepancy (e.g., whether the apparent reduction in punitive action was deliberate versus inadvertent).
regardless, the NCAA's own investigation continues.
my expectation is that, even assuming no further infractions are discovered, the NCAA will levy a more significant punitive action here; and assuming further infractions are discovered (e.g., that tressel did in fact pass the information along to others within osu, and then no appropriate action was taken), then yikes...
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
|
Quote from Hank Kornblut's post:
|
|
"... And he knew the parents, told me they were religious, strict, and likely to beat the hell out of the kid.
..."
|
I thought the overall post well a true-to-life account that certainly makes you wonder, "What WOULD I do?" Very easy to sit back and point the finger as I have so often done. I'm sure if outsiders looked at the decisions I have made with a critical eye, I'd be a fault somewhere down the line.
I will say this though... the quote above made me laugh.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
Mark: Thanks for understanding that it really is difficult to know how to proceed. I didn't know how to describe the parents. Or I should say I was too lazy to come up with a better explanation. They were very strict and very old school. To them it was all about church, God and personal conduct. Also, they were a bit nuts. At least the Dad was.
|
Last edited by Hank Kornblut on March 11, 2011; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Gary Sommers added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
|
Quote from Casey Talbott's post:
|
|
"hi bill:
osu's own self-report to the NCAA suggests that, by way of punitive action, it is/was osu's intent to suspend tressel from "several" games during the 2011 season, to reduce his salary, and to preclude him from having any involvement in spring practice or summer camps in 2011.
for reasons which are less than clear at least from the face of the report, osu then assessed the following punitive actions: 1) a public reprimand, with tressel to issue a public apology; 2) suspension for the first two games of the 2011 season; and 3) a fine of $250,000, with this money to be paid toward the costs of the investigation.
so I'll be interested in the resolution of the above discrepancy (e.g., whether the apparent reduction in punitive action was deliberate versus inadvertent).
regardless, the NCAA's own investigation continues.
my expectation is that, even assuming no further infractions are discovered, the NCAA will levy a more significant punitive action here; and assuming further infractions are discovered (e.g., that tressel did in fact pass the information along to others within osu, and then no appropriate action was taken), then yikes..."
|
Considering Tressel sure appeared to be saying 'yes' to the direct question about him forwarding the email, until Smith shut down his answer, it would appear quite possible that someone else in Columbus knew about things.
And given that Dez Bryant lost his season over having a meal and then lying about it, I don't see how the adult/authority figure gets away with two trivial games.
Does anyone know? Does being suspended for a game mean he cannot coach at all that week, or just the 3 hours of the game? Can he be in the stadium? Can he be on a 'secret' phone line with the coaches at the game?
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Casey Talbott added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
gary:
NCAA investigation should reveal whether tressel passed this information along to anyone (personal counsel, compliance office, osu in-house counsel, etc.) versus no one.
so we'll have to wait and see.
re osu-assessed two game suspension, osu's self-report confirms that tressel would be precluded from: 1) participating in any game-day activities; 2) being in the facility where game is played; and 3) having any contact with coaching staff while game is ongoing.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
Casey: I agree with you. I think it's likely Coach Tressel did forward the info to someone else who chose not to disclose. If so...big trouble for Ohio State.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Steve Lester added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
I don't know if Tressel met with the athletes immediately following his receipt of the E-mail, to get their story.
You showed some real leadership Hank, quickly coming to a decision and charting a course (right or wrong) for all to follow.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Michael Rodriguez added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
Hank...I respect you and enjoy reading your posts, but I think you handled that situation completely wrong.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Gary Sommers added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
|
Quote from Casey Talbott's post:
|
|
"gary:
NCAA investigation should reveal whether tressel passed this information along to anyone (personal counsel, compliance office, osu in-house counsel, etc.) versus no one.
so we'll have to wait and see.
re osu-assessed two game suspension, osu's self-report confirms that tressel would be precluded from: 1) participating in any game-day activities; 2) being in the facility where game is played; and 3) having any contact with coaching staff while game is ongoing."
|
Thanks Casey. Reading that, it sounds like a pretty lame 'punishment' considering who they are playing. The only in-game decision the head coach should have to make against Akron and Toledo is when do we pull our second-string QB and put in the third guy.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Gary Sommers added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
|
Quote from Hank Kornblut's post:
|
|
"Casey: I agree with you. I think it's likely Coach Tressel did forward the info to someone else who chose not to disclose. If so...big trouble for Ohio State."
|
Hank, what makes that look even more likely is the way Smith jumped in when Tressel was trying to address that Tuesday evening. At that moment he treated Tressel like a 12-year-old.
|
|
|
|
|
Discussion Topic: My Jim Tressel Situation
Gary Sommers added to this discussion on March 11, 2011
|
|
Quote from Michael Rodriguez's post:
|
|
"Hank...I respect you and enjoy reading your posts, but I think you handled that situation completely wrong."
|
That was a tough boat Hank was in. Knowing the typical wrestling parents from having just gone through 4 years at that school he might very well have never met or gotten to know the parents for himself.
Not sure if that was the case, but for the past four years VERY few wrestling parents get involved or even come around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
