Jimmy T Has Trouble With Saying Sorry

Dayton Daily News:

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said Tuesday the $250,000 fine levied against Buckeyes football coach Jim Tressel for violating NCAA rules may not even cover the cost of the investigation.

“It’ll probably eat up the whole $250 (thousand),” Smith said. “I’m not sure. We haven’t done any projections.”

Declining to address the ongoing NCAA investigation into Tressel’s violation, Smith also said he didn’t know when Tressel’s problems would be resolved.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Smith said Tressel was supposed to apologize in March at a news conference on the situation but failed to do so, and that only after meeting with Smith did the coach finally say he was sorry in a public forum.

What a bum. Later in the story:

 

After Yahoo! Sports broke the Tressel story in March, Smith, who was about to chair the prestigious NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection committee, hastily called a news conference. Tressel was supposed to apologize that night, but did not.

“Then we got with him and he got better at it,” Smith said. “It’s an emotional thing.”

On Tuesday, Smith said he regretted that the hurried news conference did not go better and said there were a number of things he wished he had done differently.

Yeah, it's hard for a hypocrite to admit he did anything wrong.  There is a timeline included with the article, and it is pretty obvious that Tressel had no desire for this scandal to ever come to light.  But this section of the timeline really stood out:

Dec. 9: Tressel says this is the first time he hears what federal officials know about the items. He makes no mention to university officials of his email exchanges with Cicero or any knowledge he has of the matter.
Dec. 16: OSU interviews for the first time the six players found to be involved with Rife (Pryor, tailback Daniel Herron, Posey, offensive lineman Mike Adams, defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and defensive back Jordan Whiting). Smith later thanks the players for their conduct in these interviews, “because they were honest (and) forthright.” Tressel does not disclose his knowledge of the memorabilia sales.
Dec. 19: OSU turns in a self-report to the NCAA and declares the six players ineligible.
Dec. 21: The NCAA conducts phone interviews with the players and then asks for additional information, which Ohio State provides on Dec. 22.
Dec. 22: The NCAA notifies Ohio State of five-game suspensions for five players and one game for Whiting. All must also pay to charity the equivalent of the money and services they received. But the NCAA does allow the players to participate in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4.
Dec. 23: Smith and Tressel have a news conference to announce the sanctions. Tressel says the players must have known what they were doing was a violation of NCAA rules: “I suppose that would be something rattling around inside the head of each of them individually. We all have a little sensor within us, 'Well, I’m not sure if I should be doing this.’ ”

Way to be classy on December 23, coach.  I can't imagine many employers would be happy with their subordinate lying to them like this.  But then again, maybe we need to reconsider who's the boss:

March 8: Ohio State reports Tressel’s violation to the NCAA and calls a news conference to announce it has suspended Tressel for two games and has fined him $250,000. In the letter to the NCAA, Ohio State says, “The institution is very surprised and disappointed in Coach Tressel’s lack of action in this matter.” Yet at the news conference, university President E. Gordon Gee and Smith lavish praise on Tressel. Asked if he considered firing Tressel, Gee jokes, “No, are you kidding? Let me just be very clear: I’m just hopeful the coach doesn’t dismiss me.”

What an embarrassment.  You'd think the highest paid college President in the country would have a little more authority.  Why does that guy make $1.5 Million?  Ohio State football is a disgrace to this state.