QB Troy Smith (2006 Heisman Trophy Winner)

[leek]

I believe it's a mistake to kick a kid off of the team, unless the staff has totally given up on him. One a kid is off the team, he is totally cut off.

If we are to believe Tressel's (and many other coaches) promises to "take care of" recruits while he is at tOSU, then he needs to keep the kid on the team! He can't straighten them out, or teach them anything at all, unless they are on the team.

Troy should serve whatever suspension Tressel feels is appropriate, whether it's one game or a season.

 

[stagtennis]

First off, this was strike 2 for Troy Smith at OSU. He has been in trouble once before. I previously stated that I think he should be kicked off the team. After discussing the issue for two weeks now, I think Tressel is doing the right thing by keeping him on the team (if the NCAA reinstates him). The NCAA will give their final stance on the number of games he will sit out, BUT IN MY OPINION, I foresee Tressel and Geiger also suspending him for an additional 4-6 games. He will find himself in a similar doghouse that John Kerr found himself.

Tressel will be upfront and tell all of this to Smith prior to Spring Ball, giving Smith the option to transfer out of school and resume his career elsewhere (hoepefully he will stay). Tressel is a coach who cares about his players like they are family. Even though they make mistakes, he would never leave them out to dry. Kicking Smith off the team would do too much damage to this young man.

 

[BuckeyeTrail]

"He is a disgrace."

Buckeye fans might be the most ungrateful people on the planet. Some of you people are insane. Get off your fucking high horse.

Buckeye fans sitting in my section have cursed out Dustin Fox and Jim Tressel. Now you guys are calling a kid that PLAYED HIS FUCKING HEART OUT for his teammates, coaches, and fans a "disgrace".

I hate Buckeye fans. They are pompous and self-righteous, and expect college kids to behave like angels, when they themselves at that age probably acted like total jackasses.

I am not defending Troy Smith or excusing his actions in any way. But this venom directed towards him makes me sick. Don't judge a kid when you have no idea what he is like. ESPECIALLY when the people that DO know him speak highly of him.

Money is tempting, especially when you don't have any. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. He gambled, lost, and will pay the appropriate price. But to call him a disgrace? To say that he doesn't deserve to be a Buckeye? Where do you guys get off? Chris Gamble had dealings with the exact same company. There is no proof, but there is a very, VERY strong possibility that Gamble accepted some cash that he didn't earn. But we hail Gamble as a hero, while calling Troy a disgrace. The only difference between the two is that one of them got caught, while the other managed to slither away unscathed.

I'm tired of the hypocrisy and the self-righteous holier than thou moral indignation of Buckeye fans.

Matt Wilhelm got a DUI. He endangered the lives of others. But Wilhelm is a hero, while Troy is a disgrace. That makes sense.

A guy I know smoked weed with Mike Doss after the 2002 michigan game. Imagine if Doss had gotten caught. He would be labeled as "selfish", a "disgrace", and "not fit to be a captain or to even wear the scarlet and grey." However, he did not get caught, and he is one of the most popular Buckeyes ever.

 

[ysubuck]

So the athletes need to be trained on how not to get caught accepting payments from boosters?

I keep seeing people that guarantee that this type of thing goes on elsewhere, yet I only see Ohio State getting investigated by the NCAA.

You say that Buckeye fans are ungrateful? How about a kid who puts the entire team in jeapordy because of his selfishness? How about a kid who is a leader that lets his team down by getting suspended 9 days before the bowl game? Suppose Todd Boekman has to burn his red shirt against Oklahoma State because of Zwick's injury. Boekman went through the gray shirt process for a reason and that was almost done in by Troy Smith. That's a year of Boekman's life that he had planned out that was almost wasted because Troy wanted to take some money from a booster.

Like I stated before, drunk and disorderly type violations and arrests DO happen everywhere, and Troy did not commit a crime.

But drunk and disorderly arrests and DUI's don't get entire programs investigated and jeapordize the whole program. Taking money from boosters does.

I'm sure Troy is a nice kid, but he is also an adult who knew full well the possible ramifications his actions could have on the Ohio State football program. He chose to put the program in jeapordy. That says a lot, IMO.

 

[exhawg]

Don't be surprised if this gets worse for Troy before it gets better. Right now he is only in trouble for taking money from one guy who was turned in by someone he knew. Now that the NCAA is looking under every rock they might find more. If Troy took 1 $100 handshake I'd say it's likely that there are others out there that we don't know about yet.

If you want to know why Troy, or anybody else would have taken the easy money, come up and visit his school some day. A word to the wise, do it during daylight hours. Alot of green and a friendly handshake can go a long way up here, especially for a kid who comes from a poor background.

I've been to the hood before and it wasn't a fun place to be although I didn't feel like I was in danger (daytime). I know Troy comes from a poor background, but students who come from poverty get Pel (sp) Grants to help them with basic expenses. If I remember correctly guys I played with in college got 4-5,000 a year for this.

 

[LightningRod]

I keep seeing people that guarantee that this type of thing goes on elsewhere, yet I only see Ohio State getting investigated by the NCAA.

Was the NCAA's current investigation into the ASU football program mentioned one time in the ASU-Purdue game {lack of institutional control should at least include situations where the compliance officer is the person providing the extra benefit}:

Arizona State: Suspended sophomore tailback Loren Wade, who hasn't played since the third game of the season, remains academically eligible and will be allowed to participate in spring practice, The Arizona Republic reported.

Athletic director Gene Smith told the paper that an internal investigation into Wade receiving extra benefits in violation of NCAA rules should be completed by early February. Results will be forwarded to the Pac-10 and NCAA, with a final resolution -- which could include Wade missing games next season -- expected by late April. Wade said he used the car of an Arizona State compliance assistant and also put her name on his utility bill so he wouldn't be responsible for a $200 deposit.

During the investigation, Arizona State has also discovered discrepancies in financial aid checks paid to several athletes.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1956398

Links to more recent resolved cases of football programs "out of control"


Kentucky - resolved 2002

Notre Dame - resolved 1999 (x rated violation)

Univ of Washington - resolved 1994

There are more public reports in the database. The secondary violation reports are not viewable by the public, and there are quite a few extra benefit violations housed in the secondary violation database.

 

[Alan]

as i understand it....in regards to smith being able to practice and participate...

tOSU is asking the NC2A to reinstate Troy for Winter Quarter under the premise that he will serve either a one or two game suspension to start the 2005 season.

if the NCAA approves this...then smith will be allowed to fully participate in all team functions throughout winter,spring, summer and into the fall....

 

[ScarletInMyVeins]

MoC was able to practice with the team when he was suspended at the beginning of last year so why would TS not be able to?

 

[TallIndian]

There is an article / interview with Geiger on BN that says the suspension does not include practice... so no matter what Troy Smith will be allowed to work out with the team and participate in spring ball.

 

[KevinBuck]

"These are crimes."<!-- / message -->
Ummm... we're not talking about crimes here. But if we were, a more proper analogy might be to treason or murder, the cardinal sins of our legal system. Troy is subject to NCAA rules above all else, and taking money is the one sure way to forfeit that privilege. Apparently a $20K scholarship package just isn't enough when it's all about the $$...

 

[Brutus1]

"He didn't commit a crime"


That's a great argument. For those of you with that argument: get off your low horse. "It's not a crime, so it's ok".

Answer me this: How much did he receive from the booster? Was it a one time envelope or was it something that happened numerous times? I have'nt heard either way.That could make a big difference. If it was numerous times and he's so poor, how the heck will he ever pay it back in order to be back in compliance? I'm assuming you can only get money from family to pay back something like this.

Everyone knows that all these kids are pimped out by their respective schools, but everyone also knows that taking $ is a major no-no. It's not a hard decision. Right vs. wrong.

They get an education, room and board, and a monthly stipend. I've been poor, and believe me, what they receive, is a definite step up from being poor.

After all this drivel, I don't believe he should be banished(if it's the only infraction). Hopefully, a coaching-handed penalty should be more than fair,whether it be 2 or 6 games.

 

[martinss01]

Do you guys want to see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton on campus next?

I didn't think so! He did NOT commit a crime!

HAYN

me dl'ing 3rd party apps onto my work pc isn't a crime either. but they have ever right to fire me for it *shrug*.

with that said, i don't think troy should be kicked off the team nor do i think tressel is the kind of coach that would do such a thing over this. though i do think ts is done at qb barring a miracle. troy knew what he was doing was wrong. whether or not it "should" be wrong is irrelivant. i think pot should be legal but you don't see me rolling up a fatty now do ya? the risks simply outweigh the rewards. troy smith chose 700 bucks over his future and the future of his teammates. there, flat out, is no argueing that FACT. whether or not the rule he broke should be a rule is 100% irrelivant. if you don't like a rule then change it. don't turn a blind eye to it, violate it, then cry foul when you get busted. :rolleyes:

troy deserves whatever the ncaa says he does. i see no reason for ag to ask for leniancy. you ask for leniancy when someone makes a mistake. ts didn't make a mistake. he made a decision.

 

[BuckeyeTrail]

"don't turn a blind eye to it, violate it, then cry foul when you get busted. :rolleyes:"

Who is crying foul here? Tressel isn't. Geiger isn't. Troy isn't. He has admitted his guilt and will serve the punishment handed down. He's not whining, saying that he should be able to get paid or whatever.

My only problem in this situation is those that want him kicked off the team. It is way too harsh and the punishment does not fit the crime. I'm not arguing that what he did was right; I'm just arguing that what he did, while bad, is nowhere near as bad as some people are making it out to be. According to the NCAA rulebooks, this is a minor infraction resulting in a 2 game penalty. If the NCAA felt that this was such a horrible thing their punishment would be much stiffer. Troy screwed up big time but he has the character to bounce back. According to the NCAA, he deserves this opportunity. According to his coaches who know him best, he deserves this opportunity. I believe that us fans and the media, who know very little about Troy Smith or this situation, should butt out and stop pontificating.

 

[Onebuckfan]

Best reason to get him back

The best reason to have Smith back is scUM can't stop a running QB. ie. Stanton.Smith, Young. Ive been for a stiff penalty for Smith but I think we should petition the NCAA and let them set the penalty. Thats what any other school would do. TS should not pay for what ESPN and MC tried to do. Now if this incident took place in December id have another opinion. Surely since the MC article, DT must have put the team on notice.

 

[Little Woody]

congrats mr. booster & troy

kick troy smith outta here.

send a GD message.

who cares, he aint worth this crap. he knew better when he took it, regardless if the booster is a peice of shit that has also helped get geiger removed.

i tired of this crap. ohio state is too good for this. andy is too good to be treated like this.