Time to turn the tide.

[HINYG8]

We are many...and we are just waiting for something to rally around.

Give us a BIG TIME press conference introducing Luke. It is over due and Luke deserves better from the administration and from us.

We have seen what just a few comments from Pryor's attorney and a parent or two can do and mean to the situation and to all of us who are seeking some firm ground to stand on in this river of shit. Time for OSU to stand up and comment on the false allegations at a minimum. Lets see the following press conferences and or releases, spaced out every 2-3 business days in no order:

1) The results of the BMV investigation into the 50 auto transactions
2) Reinstatement of Pryor's license.
3) Refuting the YSU comments in the SI article
4) Refuting any/all of the additional players named or implied in the SI article
5) How about a press conference to thank Tressel for all he did. He resigned..so let's honor him, or at a minimum announce a university partnership with one of his charities
6) Highlight the team's APR and off the field success
7) Presser to announce the new assistant when one is named
8) Name the all decade OSU team from Tressel's tenure and bring them in for a press conference and questions about their time at OSU
9) Start talking about the 2011 season..new coach..new quarterback..SAME DAMN DOMINATION!!!!!!!!!!

I am tired of seeing OSU kicked like a dog and then laying down like one.

We are better than this and we all, especially Fickell, Tressel, and the players, deserve more from OSU. The university has no problem standing up with the team in the spotlight them when they are achieving..how about now when they really need the support?

What is the positive in rolling over and taking it on the chin time and again? What negatives could there be now in standing up? Tressel is all too sadly gone. The university's PR play has been an epic failure and has only resulted in the NCAA returning to Columbus. Silence has brought no benefit, and at this point what is left to lose by standing up?

The SI story is a weak spot that is front and center in the public perception of the program. If that story is as soft as it appears to be...let's gut it like a fish. Let the nation and the NCAA see that this has become a witch hunt.

When people mock OSU... I stand up. Our honor defend. Why doesn't the university stand with me?

It is time. If they are not willing to defend what I love..then let's bring in some that will.

Am I blind to the genius of saying nothing, taking body blow after body blow, only to have the NCAA back on campus asking questions about MORE half ass accusations? If so, please explain it to me so I can be part of the solution..because at the moment I refuse to watch Tressel go quietly while the press fires off one yellow tabloid article after another.

?I'd already seen the kind of discipline and quality of effort that was being put into our program. I just felt very strongly that [COACH] did not need to be looking to the rear view mirror as to whether the university administration was supporting him. He needed to look through the front window,?
- G. Gee

What has gratified me the most is the enthusiasm I have witnessed this week on campus and among our alumni and friends. No doubt that a winning team brings great credit to the university.
- G. Gee

Well Gordon....let's start supporting Coach Fickell and paying that great credit you have benefited from forward, shall we?

 

[BB73]

We are many...and we are just waiting for something to rally around.

Give us a BIG TIME press conference introducing Luke. It is over due and Luke deserves better from the administration and from us.

We have seen what just a few comments from Pryor's attorney and a parent or two can do and mean to the situation and to all of us who are seeking some firm ground to stand on in this river of shit. Time for OSU to stand up and comment on the false allegations at a minimum. Lets see the following press conferences and or releases, spaced out every 2-3 business days in no order:

1) The results of the BMV investigation into the 50 auto transactions
2) Reinstatement of Pryor's license.
3) Refuting the YSU comments in the SI article
4) Refuting any/all of the additional players named or implied in the SI article
5) How about a press conference to thank Tressel for all he did. He resigned..so let's honor him, or at a minimum announce a university partnership with one of his charities
6) Highlight the team's APR and off the field success
7) Presser to announce the new assistant when one is named
8) Name the all decade OSU team from Tressel's tenure and bring them in for a press conference and questions about their time at OSU
9) Start talking about the 2011 season..new coach..new quarterback..SAME DAMN DOMINATION!!!!!!!!!!

I am tired of seeing OSU kicked like a dog and then laying down like one.

We are better than this and we all, especially Fickell, Tressel, and the players, deserve more from OSU. The university has no problem standing up with the team in the spotlight them when they are achieving..how about now when they really need the support?

What is the positive in rolling over and taking it on the chin time and again? What negatives could there be now in standing up? Tressel is all too sadly gone. The university's PR play has been an epic failure and has only resulted in the NCAA returning to Columbus. Silence has brought no benefit, and at this point what is left to lose by standing up?

The SI story is a weak spot that is front and center in the public perception of the program. If that story is as soft as it appears to be...let's gut it like a fish. Let the nation and the NCAA see that this has become a witch hunt.

When people mock OSU... I stand up. Our honor defend. Why doesn't the university stand with me?

It is time. If they are not willing to defend what I love..then let's bring in some that will.

Am I blind to the genius of saying nothing, taking body blow after body blow, only to have the NCAA back on campus asking questions about MORE half ass accusations? If so, please explain it to me so I can be part of the solution..because at the moment I refuse to watch Tressel go quietly while the press fires off one yellow tabloid article after another.

?I'd already seen the kind of discipline and quality of effort that was being put into our program. I just felt very strongly that [COACH] did not need to be looking to the rear view mirror as to whether the university administration was supporting him. He needed to look through the front window,?
- G. Gee

What has gratified me the most is the enthusiasm I have witnessed this week on campus and among our alumni and friends. No doubt that a winning team brings great credit to the university.
- G. Gee

Well Gordon....let's start supporting Coach Fickell and paying that great credit you have benefited from forward, shall we?

E. Gordon Gee did have a quote that was actually shown on ESPN's College Football Live show yesterday. He stated the tOSU had the highest APR of any team in the top25.

Engaging in a PR battle with the media is dangerous stuff. If they think that is what's going on, they'll fight to win that PR battle, which would be fought on their turf.

Another factor is that a public stance of defiance could make tOSU appear to be doing what USC did, which didn't play very well with the NCAA and I believe is part of why they got whacked so hard in the bowl ban and scholarships areas.

It's a tough situation, and I agree that tOSU shouldn't just sit back and do nothing while being attacked.

But it's something that has be done carefully - any missteps would unleash a further barrage. I think it's better having things happen like the fathers of Klein and Simon making a stir on their own. If they're able to have their sons sign affadavits stating that they never got any tattoos in Columbus, and furthermore never even stepped inside a tattoo parlor in Columbus, then a press conference demanding a retraction and an apology from SI could be a good move.

But winning a defamation lawsuit against SI is almost hopeless. They can stand behind 'absence of malice', and state that they were just quoting the person with the 'Ellis' alias, and if that person was mistaken it wasn't SI's fault. And that SI contacted the University before the article was printed asking to talk to students about it (which I believe they did), and that tOSU didn't make the players available.

But making a public stink about inaccuracies in that article is fine with me.

 

[HINYG8]

Engaging in a PR battle with the media is dangerous stuff. If they think that is what's going on, they'll fight to win that PT battle, which would be fought on their turf.

The last time the world really heard from OSU was that horrific train wreck of a press conference months ago.

Gee came off as an idiot...but at least OSU looked prepared to fight. Now...we have taken shot after shot, accepted Coach's resignation and have become a punching bag.

From a PR perspective I don't think we could do much worse. Time to expound on the good and battle the false.

I don't believe for a second that the NCAA would be incensed if we simply spoke the truth, even if it means we refute some poor journalism in the process.

I'm not saying go after the families and lives of these journahacklists....just present the truth in the face of the false allegations.

OR at least at a damn minimum give Fickell some love and give us all something to get on board with and celebrate. I miss Tressel...but it is time to rally behind the team and the new coach...but we have no platform for this..we just have more..................

silence.

The press is writing our history AND our future for us - however they see fit - with the truth and without. Time to take control of our destiny. If we are not going to take on the falsehoods..then let's at least turn the page and start celebrating the new coach and the team. OSU needs to show some damn support in one arena or another (coach or bad press)....if not both.

How about a pep rally for Fickell? Something...anything..instead of just lying there in the mud.

 

[Gatorubet]

HINY, the resources of the university would be better spent ensuring that any and all legitimate allegations are investigated fully - and the process and information conveyed accurately to the NCAA. The NCAA investigation is on-going. Y'all are still compiling information and conducting investigations to answer the requests of the NOA. Since then there have been additional allegations brought up in the lynch mob press. But the nonsense like stalking Ms. Pryor and the release of incorrect info on cars driven by TP - as maddening and annoying as it is to watch - is intimately just poor journalism drivel. It won't result in official sanctioning of your university. You have to ignore the gnats buzzing your face, because as annoying as they are (as you lie there naked on the table), you need to pay more attention to the NCAA's surgery on your vitals right now.

The post-op period is important for your convalescence. If you follow the doctor's instructions to the letter you will have a quicker and less painful recovery. If instead you exert yourself too soon, running around fixated on swatting gnats, you might miss some important post-op instructions or pull out the stitches.

And while you will have successfully swatted a few gnats - your failure to follow doctor's orders to the letter might lead to yet another surgery.

 

[HINYG8]

HINY, the resources of the university would be better spent ensuring that any and all legitimate allegations are investigated fully - and the process and information conveyed accurately to the NCAA. The NCAA investigation is on-going. Y'all are still compiling information and conducting investigations to answer the requests of the NOA. Since then there have been additional allegations brought up in the lynch mob press. But the nonsense like stalking Ms. Pryor and the release of incorrect info on cars driven by TP - as maddening and annoying as it is to watch - is intimately just poor journalism drivel. It won't result in official sanctioning of your university. You have to ignore the gnats buzzing your face, because as annoying as they are (as you lie there naked on the table), you need to pay more attention to the NCAA's surgery on your vitals right now.

The post-op period is important for your convalescence. If you follow the doctor's instructions to the letter you will have a quicker and less painful recovery. If instead you exert yourself too soon, running around fixated on swatting gnats, you might miss some important post-op instructions or pull out the stitches.

And while you will have successfully swatted a few gnats - your failure to follow doctor's orders to the letter might lead to yet another surgery.

I understand that....but at no point should any of that preclude giving Fickell some support and face time.

And it is the increasing gnat population...growing unabated..that has the NCAA back looking to exterminate.

Besides, the PR battle and the 'holy shit is there anything else' crowd can't be the same people. They are not mutually exclusive options...and working one angle would not and should not deter the other.

OSU's PR effort on this whole saga have been beyond pathetic. From Gee on down it has been misplayed beyond reason.

It is politics..time for a campaign..and lord knows it is well funded..so why has it become amatuer hour? How does the timing of JT's departure make ANY kind of sense? WTF was Gee thinking at the press conference? Why let real results come back (the BMV audit, for example) come in without any comment from OSU? It just goes on and on.....and the team has been left in no man's land.

 

[BuckNut65]

I understand everything that you are saying and agree that Luke has not been given his due. However, I do agree with Gator in that the primary focus of the University should be the investigations and the upcoming hearing in August...assuming it is still in August based on the allegations that keep cropping up weekly.

The problem that we have run into at this point is that there is so much blood in the water that there is no way to keep the sharks out now. In this era of sensationalized "journalism" and "reporting", it is all about who can get the next headline by using unknown sources due to fear of retribution. If the University tries to defend itself the media will pounce on this and claim that we continue to ignore that a problem exists and that there is a lack of institutional control. Besides, as we all know, much of what gets thrown out there consists of half-truths and facts with an occasional quote taken out if context. In the end, the majority of the people that read this horse[Mark May] believe it and the damage is done. It is such an uphill battle at this point. I'm not advocating that we lie down like a neutered dog, however I do not think that right now is the best time to come out with guns blazing when dealing with some of these reports.

As [censored]ed as I am about the course of events that have taken place, the media frenzy will die down soon and will once again be focused on Lance Armstrong's urine samples or the next professional athlete that used HGH.

At this point, I hope the University is focused on conducting these investigations as thoroughly and as accurately as possible and preparing the best defense for the upcoming NCAA hearing.

 

[HINYG8]

At this point, I hope the University is focused on conducting these investigations as thoroughly and as accurately as possible and preparing the best defense for the upcoming NCAA hearing.

Agreed..but let's not pretend this is a one man show that can only focus on one thing at a time. This is a massive administration with major payroll and resources.

I get the need to buckle down on the NCAA hearing..I don't buy that means nothing else can be done..be it promoting Fickell or responding to false allegations with the truth.

 

[UpNorthBuckeye]

Here's what I am telling people up here in tsun: give it about 6 months, and the excitement will have died down, and the facts will be out, and we will find that it is nowhere near a big deal as they think.

Luke is being given (undeserved) grief already, because as a staffer for the last 8 years, he is being painted as "part of the problem". In other words, why didn't he know what was going on?

So HinyG8, I agree that at some point, someone, be it a Dispatch article, a player testimonial or whoever, needs to give LF some love and testimony. Becuase I'll tell you, he is an "Ohio State Man".

Desales wrestling champ? Four year starter at NG? Please, give me Luke over Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops (both of whom have had their own "scandal" problems).

I think the point by point denoument of the accusations will be complete some time after the August 12th hearings. I would say right about the time of The Game.

And let's not forget: there are OSU fans who are living here, who are familiar with the Meatchicken program. There is dirt here, and it will come out. Not that I care. But maybe it will get everyone involved in college football, at least the 25 or 30 elite programs, to talk about how to get a grip on this and how to firewall the bad influences and $100 handshakes.

So grin and bear it for now, because our time will come.

 

[WyoBuckeye]

I think it is wise to lay low at least until the NCAA has handed down its final judgement. If Ohio State takes an us versus the world mentality, Ohio State loses that battle and gets crushed. What has worked in the past should be done again. Under Andy Geiger and during the MC and TS debacles, Ohio State was proactive, transparent and cooperative. This strategy resulted in sanctions that were minimal and allowed Ohio State to suffer little and recover quickly. This storm is far bigger than the earlier ones, but I think the same strategy applies. Cooperate, make honest reforms and be humble. Minimize the damage. Once the sanctions have been announced, say whatever the University feels need to be said. Hopefully laying low will help to mitigate the sanctions on the program and allow Ohio State to recover more quickly. But even if humility does not help to ease sanctions, bravado at this point may please some of the fans, but it will do nothing to help Ohio State recover. And that is what is most important really. When Ohio State starts winning again, the fans will quickly forget this difficult period.

 

[BB73]

Here's a release that came from tOSU yesterday. I placed this here since it seems to be an attempt to counter the stream of negative publicity.

Official.site

No. 1 Among Top 25 in Academic Progress Rate

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State football program has the No. 1 Academic Progress Rate (APR) multi-year score in the nation among the Top 25 teams in the final 2010 USA Today/ESPN Football Coaches Poll. The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship.


The Buckeyes, who had the No. 1 APR score among the Top 15 teams at the conclusion of the 2009 football season, had a multi-year APR score of 985 to out-perform the rest of the Top 5 that included Boise State (981), Stanford (977), TCU (972) and Central Florida (971). Rankings research was compiled by the NCAA and USA Today and appeared in the May 25, 2011 issue of USA Today.


The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance. The most recent APR scores are multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
Ohio State football was one of five Ohio State programs that were honored last month with a public recognition award by the NCAA, with the others being baseball, men's gymnastics, men's tennis and women's tennis. The public recognition awards are given each year to teams scoring in the Top 10 percent in each sport, based on their most recent multi-year APRs.

APR Scores of Top 25 Programs
(Ranking in final 2010 USA Today/ESPN Football Coaches Poll)

1. Ohio State (5) - 985
2. Boise State (7) - 981
3. Stanford (4) - 977
4. TCU (2) - 972
5. Central Florida (20) - 971
6. Missouri (18) - 967
Wisconsin (8) - 967
8. LSU (8) - 966
9. Alabama (11) - 963
10. Oklahoma (6) - 960
11. Nebraska (19) - 958
12. Utah (23) - 956
13. Virginia Tech (15) - 955
14. South Carolina (22) - 954
15. Mississippi State (17) - 952
16. Nevada (13) - 943
17. Oklahoma State (10) - 942
18. Oregon (3) - 941
19. Auburn (1) - 940
Texas A&M (21) - 940
21. Michigan State (14) - 938
22. Arkansas (12) - 937
23. Florida State (16) - 932
24. North Carolina State (25) - 929
25. Maryland (24) - 922

 

[WyoBuckeye]

Here's a release that came from tOSU yesterday. I placed this here since it seems to be an attempt to counter the stream of negative publicity.

Official.site

That type of proactive counter is good. It does nothing to try to downplay or deny the case. It touts something that Ohio State under JT did well. And kudos that he gets for that (which will be far too little I am sure) will be well deserved.

 

[Jake]

I think it is wise to lay low at least until the NCAA has handed down its final judgement. If Ohio State takes an us versus the world mentality, Ohio State loses that battle and gets crushed. What has worked in the past should be done again. Under Andy Geiger and during the MC and TS debacles, Ohio State was proactive, transparent and cooperative. This strategy resulted in sanctions that were minimal and allowed Ohio State to suffer little and recover quickly. This storm is far bigger than the earlier ones, but I think the same strategy applies. Cooperate, make honest reforms and be humble. Minimize the damage. Once the sanctions have been announced, say whatever the University feels need to be said. Hopefully laying low will help to mitigate the sanctions on the program and allow Ohio State to recover more quickly. But even if humility does not help to ease sanctions, bravado at this point may please some of the fans, but it will do nothing to help Ohio State recover. And that is what is most important really. When Ohio State starts winning again, the fans will quickly forget this difficult period.

Excellent points.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Here's a release that came from tOSU yesterday. I placed this here since it seems to be an attempt to counter the stream of negative publicity.

Official.site

APR Scores of Top 25 Programs
(Ranking in final 2010 USA Today/ESPN Football Coaches Poll)

1. Ohio State (5) - 985
2. Boise State (7) - 981
3. Stanford (4) - 977
4. TCU (2) - 972
5. Central Florida (20) - 971
6. Missouri (18) - 967
Wisconsin (8) - 967
8. LSU (8) - 966
9. Alabama (11) - 963
10. Oklahoma (6) - 960
11. Nebraska (19) - 958
12. Utah (23) - 956
13. Virginia Tech (15) - 955
14. South Carolina (22) - 954
15. Mississippi State (17) - 952
16. Nevada (13) - 943
17. Oklahoma State (10) - 942
18. Oregon (3) - 941
19. Auburn (1) - 940
Texas A&M (21) - 940
21. Michigan State (14) - 938
22. Arkansas (12) - 937
23. Florida State (16) - 932
24. North Carolina State (25) - 929
25. Maryland (24) - 922

I'm sure that Chris Ault has no doubt that Nevada would beat Ohio State in the classroom.

 

[BuckeyeNation36]

I think it is wise to lay low at least until the NCAA has handed down its final judgement. If Ohio State takes an us versus the world mentality, Ohio State loses that battle and gets crushed. What has worked in the past should be done again. Under Andy Geiger and during the MC and TS debacles, Ohio State was proactive, transparent and cooperative. This strategy resulted in sanctions that were minimal and allowed Ohio State to suffer little and recover quickly. This storm is far bigger than the earlier ones, but I think the same strategy applies. Cooperate, make honest reforms and be humble. Minimize the damage. Once the sanctions have been announced, say whatever the University feels need to be said. Hopefully laying low will help to mitigate the sanctions on the program and allow Ohio State to recover more quickly. But even if humility does not help to ease sanctions, bravado at this point may please some of the fans, but it will do nothing to help Ohio State recover. And that is what is most important really. When Ohio State starts winning again, the fans will quickly forget this difficult period.

Agreed. Until the August NCAA ruling, no one outside of Buckeye Nation will have a kind word to say about the program and will continue to pile on. Thick skin.

 

[Muck]

I think there is a bit of a disconnect in this thread....

Being proactive and setting the record straight regarding some of the false allegations going around is very different than swaggering up to a podium and flipping off everyone in sight.

USC's reaction was along the lines of the latter whereas I think people in this thread are arguing for the former.