We already knew that Jim Tressel lied to his employer, broke NCAA rules, and impeded a federal drug trafficking investigation to help keep his star players eligible, and for that he offered up the weak excuse that the lawyer who forwarded him the damning information in question had requested confidentiality in his e-mails. And even notwithstanding the obvious weaknesses of that excuse -- hint: the privilege of confidentiality doesn't just apply because some guy randomly mentions it in an e-mail -- we knew that excuse was entirely bogus when the actual e-mails were released and it became known that the lawyer had not even requested confidentiality until two weeks after he sent his initial e-mail warning Tressel of what was going on.
Nevertheless, Tressel is apparently still sticking with the story that he thought the information was confidential and that is the reason why he did not forward along the information to Ohio State, the Big Ten, or the NCAA. Well, guess what? Despite supposedly being forever bound by that confidentiality request, Tressel apparently had no problem forwarding this information along to Terrelle Pryor's handler. Per the Columbus Dispatch:
When Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel learned last spring that some of his current players were in trouble, he shared the information with someone he thought could help his star quarterback even though he said he didn't tell his bosses.
Tressel forwarded the information to Ted Sarniak, a mentor to Terrelle Pryor, after the coach received emails warning that Pryor and at least one other player had sold memorabilia to a local tattoo-parlor owner who was under federal investigation for drug trafficking, multiple sources have confirmed to The Dispatch.
Sarniak, 67, is a prominent businessman in Pryor's hometown of Jeannette, Pa. He befriended the quarterback years ago and accompanied him on recruiting trips to Ohio State and other universities.
In other words, the confidentiality request apparently meant that Tressel could not notify Ohio State, the Big Ten, or the NCAA, but seemingly it gave him full discretion to spill the beans to Terrelle Pryor's "mentor" who apparently played a key role in steering him to Ohio State in the first place. Another day, another Jim Tressel lie exposed, eh?
As I've said for weeks now, Jim Tressel should be fired immediately, and he should have been fired the day after the university became aware of these e-mails. And, frankly, Gene Smith ought to be fired immediately for his failure to terminate Tressel weeks ago. The whole idea of the five game suspension is a laughingstock. Replace "game" with "year" and "suspension" with "show-cause order" and then you'll be on the right track.