ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
FIVE YEARS LATER: HOW DEEP IT WENT
The Cleveland Browns had not yet ruled out Terrelle Pryor.
In August 2011 Ohio State's newly-ineligible quarterback made himself available for the NFL's supplemental draft. There was a lot to like about him; namely a 31-4 record, Sugar Bowl MVP and Rose Bowl MVP tightly packed into a nearly six-and-a-half foot frame that was faster than anyone else on one of college football's best teams.
Tressel and Lloyd Carr at Browns camp, 2011
And as there are with every prospect, there were also red flags. Pryor had more than usual. His name had been in the news nearly every day that year, and it was now August. His college coach had recently been interrogated by the NCAA, a meeting which produced a 139-page public transcript that revealed as much about the quarterback as it did the coach being investigated.
Much of the questioning was centered on Pryor, whose actions initiated Ohio State's memorabilia scandal which was the focal point for that NCAA probe. His coach's testimony revealed an immature kid who lacked confidence. Pryor required regular positive reinforcement from his (since deceased) mentor back in Pennsylvania, who was coached on how to provide it by Tressel while Tressel himself attempted to shape Pryor into a confident, assertive leader many outsiders falsely already believed him to be:
"I remember after spring ball [Pryor] asking me, 'Do you think I'll be good enough? [to play in the NFL]' " Tressel said. "He's always looking for that reinforcement. 'Do you think I can do this? Do you think I can reach my goals?' And I remember vividly saying to him, 'You'll only reach your goals in football if you become the right kind of man.' "
Tressel was invited that month by the Browns to advocate on behalf of the former pupil who was the catalyst for his coaching career's demise. Cleveland ended up passing on Pryor (and everyone else - it did not use a supplemental draft pick) but five years and a circuitous route later, he is the team's leading receiver closing in on a 1,000-yard season. Pryor is finally reaching his goals in football.
His old coach, despite having exited the profession, hasn't stopped coaching him either.
Tressel honored for his induction into Ohio State University Athletics' Hall of Fame in September 2015 Greg Bartram | USAToday
Before the years of fake classes at North Carolina came to light, there was Cheaty McSweatervest.
Before Joe Paterno and numerous officials at Penn State spent decades sheltering a known child rapist, there was the Teflon Senator. Before Baylor went systematically silent about 17 domestic violence, sexual assault and gang rape incidences involving its athletes, Mark Dantonio was chided for referring to Jim Tressel as a tragic hero.
You might have missed that one. Here's what he said in 2011:
Every person (Tressel has) come in contact with as a player and a coach, he's made a positive impact on their lives. To me, it's tragic. He becomes a tragic hero in my respect, in my view. Usually tragic heroes have the ability to rise above it all in the end and that's what I'll look for in the end.
Tressel's reputation with people who knew him, such as his players and protégés like Dantonio, was shaped when no one else was watching. They know the type of person he is. The way he was portrayed in the media during the fallout from Tatgate wasn't quite as genuine.
But truth is resilient, as both Tressel and Ohio State were reminded after he tried and failed to handle Tatgate free of required governance. Lies travel quickly. Truth has a stubborn way of finding the light, albeit slowly. Give it enough time and truth will get it correct. Eventually.
Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...jim-tressel-five-years-later-how-deep-it-went
The Cleveland Browns had not yet ruled out Terrelle Pryor.
In August 2011 Ohio State's newly-ineligible quarterback made himself available for the NFL's supplemental draft. There was a lot to like about him; namely a 31-4 record, Sugar Bowl MVP and Rose Bowl MVP tightly packed into a nearly six-and-a-half foot frame that was faster than anyone else on one of college football's best teams.
Tressel and Lloyd Carr at Browns camp, 2011
And as there are with every prospect, there were also red flags. Pryor had more than usual. His name had been in the news nearly every day that year, and it was now August. His college coach had recently been interrogated by the NCAA, a meeting which produced a 139-page public transcript that revealed as much about the quarterback as it did the coach being investigated.
Much of the questioning was centered on Pryor, whose actions initiated Ohio State's memorabilia scandal which was the focal point for that NCAA probe. His coach's testimony revealed an immature kid who lacked confidence. Pryor required regular positive reinforcement from his (since deceased) mentor back in Pennsylvania, who was coached on how to provide it by Tressel while Tressel himself attempted to shape Pryor into a confident, assertive leader many outsiders falsely already believed him to be:
"I remember after spring ball [Pryor] asking me, 'Do you think I'll be good enough? [to play in the NFL]' " Tressel said. "He's always looking for that reinforcement. 'Do you think I can do this? Do you think I can reach my goals?' And I remember vividly saying to him, 'You'll only reach your goals in football if you become the right kind of man.' "
Tressel was invited that month by the Browns to advocate on behalf of the former pupil who was the catalyst for his coaching career's demise. Cleveland ended up passing on Pryor (and everyone else - it did not use a supplemental draft pick) but five years and a circuitous route later, he is the team's leading receiver closing in on a 1,000-yard season. Pryor is finally reaching his goals in football.
His old coach, despite having exited the profession, hasn't stopped coaching him either.
Tressel honored for his induction into Ohio State University Athletics' Hall of Fame in September 2015 Greg Bartram | USAToday
Before the years of fake classes at North Carolina came to light, there was Cheaty McSweatervest.
Before Joe Paterno and numerous officials at Penn State spent decades sheltering a known child rapist, there was the Teflon Senator. Before Baylor went systematically silent about 17 domestic violence, sexual assault and gang rape incidences involving its athletes, Mark Dantonio was chided for referring to Jim Tressel as a tragic hero.
You might have missed that one. Here's what he said in 2011:
Every person (Tressel has) come in contact with as a player and a coach, he's made a positive impact on their lives. To me, it's tragic. He becomes a tragic hero in my respect, in my view. Usually tragic heroes have the ability to rise above it all in the end and that's what I'll look for in the end.
Tressel's reputation with people who knew him, such as his players and protégés like Dantonio, was shaped when no one else was watching. They know the type of person he is. The way he was portrayed in the media during the fallout from Tatgate wasn't quite as genuine.
But truth is resilient, as both Tressel and Ohio State were reminded after he tried and failed to handle Tatgate free of required governance. Lies travel quickly. Truth has a stubborn way of finding the light, albeit slowly. Give it enough time and truth will get it correct. Eventually.
Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...jim-tressel-five-years-later-how-deep-it-went
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