Jim Tressel

A lawyer whose emails to Ohio State University's former football coach triggered an ongoing scandal and NCAA investigation that cost the coach his job and led to several players' suspensions denied Monday he broke any legal misconduct rules. Attorney Christopher Cicero testified he never intended to represent a tattoo parlor owner who bought or traded tattoos for Ohio State memorabilia such as jerseys and championship rings. Cicero met with Columbus tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife on April 2, 2010, according to court documents, and again on April 15, 2010 to discuss whether Cicero...

With Bobby Petrino not on the field and his conduct under review by his boss, Arkansas is doing its best to concentrate on spring practice. The Razorbacks returned to the field Friday, less than 24 hours after the coach was placed on paid leave following the revelation he had lied about being alone during a motorcycle accident last weekend. This may have appeared to be a normal practice at Razorback Stadium. Of course, it was anything but without the coach who has turned Arkansas into a national contender over the past four seasons.

ESPN is reporting former Florida coach Urban Meyer has accepted the job as Ohio State's next football coach. Meyer has spent the season as an analyst for ESPN. Ohio State has been led by interim coach Luke Fickell since Jim Tressel resigned last spring following allegations of NCAA violations. The Buckeyes ended the regular season on Saturday with a loss to Michigan.

The lawyer whose email tips about Ohio State players trading memorabilia for tattoos triggered a far-reaching scandal and the harshest NCAA punishment in the university's history should lose his law license for six months, a disciplinary board said Tuesday. The Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline also recommended that attorney Christopher Cicero pay $2,800 in court costs. The board's ruling Tuesday now goes to the Supreme Court, which can accept, reject or change the recommendation.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder says college players should be able to sell their game jerseys — something he “hypothetically’’ did when he played for the Florida Gators. Crowder discussed the subject Sunday during the debut of his new two-hour weekly talk show on WQAM radio in Miami. He said hypothetically he didn’t have any of his Florida jerseys, because some Jacksonville businessmen really liked his play. Crowder expressed support for quarterback Terrelle Pryor in connection with the scandal at Ohio State.

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is ready to make his NFL debut Sunday at New Orleans. Tressel, who resigned in May following an NCAA scandal, was hired by Colts coach Jim Caldwell in September to be a game-day consultant. Tressel is expected to work from Indy's coaches' booth and will advise Caldwell about replay reviews. Three days after announcing their hire, the Colts said the disgraced coach would not begin his duties until the seventh game of the season. The Colts have not made Tressel available for interviews.

Can one of his sycophants in the NFL courtier press please explain to This Blog specifically how Roger Goodell has the right as the commissioner of the National Football League unilaterally to punish Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressel for violating NCAA regulations . I mean, why don't they just give him a helmet and some mirrored glasses and let him work for the Alabama Highway Patrol to see if any of this year's Crimson Tide squad is violating local...

Consultants studying how well Ohio State University programs comply with rules and requirements will present their recommendations early next year. The compliance review was launched earlier this year following the school's football memorabilia scandal that led to several player suspensions, the departure of coach Jim Tressel and an NCAA investigation. Consultants told Ohio State trustees Monday that recommendations and plans to put them in place will be presented in February.

Ohio State University trustees have approved the creation of a new office responsible for monitoring compliance with rules and regulations in the wake of its football program's NCAA infractions scandal. The office is a response to the scandal, which led to the resignation of coach Jim Tressel, but its oversight would apply to numerous departments, including athletics. The university will begin creating the office over the next six to 12 months. University Chief Financial Officer Geoff Chatas says a university-wide compliance office would help provide consistency among the...

The resignation of football coach Jim Tressel on Monday means Ohio State does not have to pay him another penny of his estimated $3.5 million annual salary. According to the contract, which runs through the 2014 season, Tressel “shall not be entitled to receive any further compensation or benefits under this agreement’’ if he resigns. Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch said Monday that he was unaware of whether a buyout or severance package was part of Tressel’s resignation, which was negotiated on Sunday night.

Ohio State University trustees have approved the creation of a new office responsible for monitoring compliance with rules and regulations in the wake of its football program's NCAA infractions scandal. The office is a response to the scandal, which led to the resignation of coach Jim Tressel, but its oversight would apply to numerous departments, including athletics. The university will begin creating the office over the next six to 12 months. University Chief Financial Officer Geoff Chatas says a university-wide compliance office would help provide consistency among the...

Through it all, Jim Tressel never lost his charm. As he worked the room the way he did for a decade as Ohio State's coach, delighting students and faculty members, school trustees and Akron's president with stories of past successes and plans for the future, Tressel felt like he had come back home. "This," he said, "is a second chance. " Tressel is back on campus. He's starting over where he began. Tressel, forced to resign in disgrace last May amid a cash-for-tattoos scandal at Ohio State that toppled the football powerhouse, was introduced Thursday as...

Every coach claims to have a great national signing day. Nick Saban actually does — every year. By lunchtime on Wednesday, the Alabama coach had most of his latest highly rated recruiting class locked up. "He's the best at (recruiting) in the country," said Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network. "Over the last five years, nobody has been better at it than Nick Saban. " The national signing period for high school football players opened with the usual plethora of pick-a-cap news conferences and a few high-profile flip-flops.

We interrupt this seamy, scandal-plagued, cash-grab-of-a-college-football season for the following public-service message: Matt Barkley is staying in school. The announcement Thursday that Barkley will return to Southern California for his senior season isn't really a tale about great sacrifice. He knows NFL-ready quarterback prospects almost always hold their value and he'll likely get his millions soon enough. It isn't even the most uplifting story in the game this week.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State players broke the rules and got to play in the Sugar Bowl anyway. Jim Tressel knew about infractions and let it all happen. Now the Buckeyes and new coach Urban Meyer will pay for it next season. The NCAA hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and additional penalties Tuesday for violations that started with eight players taking a total of $14,000 in cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia. Tressel was tipped to the violations in April 2010 but didn't tell anyone — even after the...

What are the chances Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was laughing out loud when he composed his response to the additional sanctions heaped on his school by the NCAA? "We are surprised and disappointed by the NCAA's decision," his statement read. "However, we have decided not to appeal the decision because we need to move forward as an institution. " Based on the kid-gloves treatment afforded the Buckeyes, that shouldn't be a problem. Ohio State had already offered to vacate the 2010 season, return bowl money, go on two years of NCAA probation and use five fewer...

Every other mother's blog has weighed in on the Ohio State mess, and the forced departure of Jim Tressel, the world's most boring corrupt person. (Seriously, this is that time when Charles Kuralt died, and we found out that the avuncular old yob spent so much time On The Road because he was gettin' him some strange on the range.) SI has the full skinny , and nothing but the skinny. Elsewhere, there's all manner of opining, and even some opining on the opining.

The text of Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith’s video provided by the university on Monday in the wake of head football coach Jim Tressel’s resignation: “Buckeye Nation, by now you have news that our head football coach, Jim Tressel, has decided to resign. We announced it this morning. “I want you to know that last night, Sunday night, when Jim returned from his vacation, he and I sat down for a while and talked about the state of our program. It was at that time that he decided to resign.