Tressel accepts job as YSU President in principal

[Penguin Nation]

Choosing a University president with a history of success, leadership, and strong oratory skills does not embarrass me.

This embarrasses me (yet again):



http://www.trust.org/item/20140514204355-9lzam

[jjysuwin]

It's a shame the Democrat politicians stain the area again. And the liberal professors at YSU complaining about hiring Tressel are the same ones blindly supporting these corrupt losers. 

[Iceman]

Just a heads up, go read the reaction around the country. YSU is being held up to scorn and ridicule heavily for the hiring, but most held Akron up for the same. Might be popular locally, but the   outside world  is looking down their collective noses at this. Will be interesting to see how this actually plays out.

Exactly, YSU is the laughingstock of the nation right now.  The guy is a proven cheater & liar, but I guess that doesn't matter.  How about another 2Pac quote Jimmy!

Who cares? Let them keep talking  ...more advertising for us. I can see ESPN and  the MVFC network calling right now to see if the president sits in a box or a loge. If the later does he come down for interviews.

Local money coming back into the university, as they know they have to put their money where their mouth is.

Akron people saying 'he took YSU because we did not want him' while YSU people saying Tressel did not want Akron. Nice fresh seed for a rivalry.

Ahh ...feels like Youngstown again 


President Tressel, first order of business ...take over that Eastern Gateway ...or get it shut down! Then do the same with Kent Trumbull. Otherwise YSU will continue to dwell in "mediocrity"

It could not have worked out better

First off, iceman, you never have anything positive to say, so I could careless what you, or anyone across the nation thinks of this move. Inside the Buckeye state, it is being praised by our great Governor, Senator's, local politicians, and fans of Tressel all across Ohio.

Second, IAAFan, I agree with everything up to a point. I disagree about Eastern Gateway. This area badly needs that community college. Those students, at least initially, should not be going to YSU. A bad wrap about YSU is the fact they accept virtually everyone. Now, since they made it slightly tougher to get in, many of those students that would have gone to YSU before are now going to EGCC. We need our area educated across the board. A nice mix of college grads and community college grads is better than an area filled with those with just high school diplomas.

How can a guy who has cheated & lied his whole professional life (& brought sanctions to YSU) stand up in front of students and faculty and preach about integrity & character when he has none himself?  WHat will he lie about and try to cover-up as Prez?  They don't call him Teflon Tressel for nothing.  He's a big a hypocrite as they come

Tressel suffers from the human condition just as everyone else here.  Only one person was perfect and every Christian religion is based on that person.  Use some wisdom.   What Tressel did and was accused of is violating an ncaaf rule not breaking the law or committing any crimes.  If you keep believing sensationalized news you will lose the proper perspective.   Use your wisdom and measure him for his strengths.  He beats out any of the candidates that he was up against except arguably Dr. Abram.  The fact that Tressel WILL get the support of the community makes him a grand slam home run based on the current economic challenges that all higher education is faced with.......namely lack of $.  Abram would have been a bigger gamble in the most important area of need.  I don't live in Y-town anymore, but the impact is national.  I have heard from people all over the country that have commented on it (I am a mini superfan so a lot of people know about YSU because of unprovoked lessons that I give to friends).

Leadership skill is based on results.  Tressel has the track record.  How many people that posses his leadership skills would pick YSU over many other high profile opportunities?  Tressel belongs to Youngstown as much as any of our Iconic people in our storied past (i.e. Warner Brother etc).  He is exactly what we need and we are fortunate that he is humble enough to want us too.  He is not perfect and no one is perfect, but he is a lot closer than most.  He has left good and remarkable impact on every community that he has been a part of.

Not only was he "accused of withholding information" he, did, in fact, withhold information, "intentionally" so as to prevent the expected result of losing the services of key players on the OSU team. Had that happened, it is unlikely that OSU would have succeeded in winning like they did, henceforth his "performance" would not have been so "stellar". So once again, he tries to sell it as his intentions were "honorable", but I see no honor in lying and cheating to win.

[ValleyTalk]

I do not think this individual has every posted anything positive about anyone or anything on this board. Needless to say, a quick glance at his previous posts shows he is as classless as they come:

[Iceman]

I do not think this individual has every posted anything positive about anyone or anything on this board. Needless to say, a quick glance at his previous posts shows he is as classless as they come:

Just stating the obvious, yet posters like IP constantly bashed other posters with insults & nothing was ever done about it.  Unless his absence is a result of a board suspension, then I commend the moderator

[axaguy]

The perception of the Tressel hiring at YSU is as suggested in previous posts here. Not well received. I place that right up with Auburn's immediate hiring of Bruce Pearl who ran afoul of ethics at both Tennessee and Milwaukee.

What do these hiring's say about us as a society. Though no state or federal laws were broken by either great lapses in ethics and morality occurred. We want these guys as examples to our kids? Leaders of our institutions? Is it safe to say that while no "laws" were broken little white lies, cover ups and pleas of ignorance by those in the know and in charge are OK?

Shame on us for accepting this as a society.

Winning isn't everything, or is it?

[IAA Fan]

You know it is okay to sit there and preach, yet what is you knowledge of these "offenses"? Same as the rest of us ...little to nothing. I read every one of those emails and they said absolutely nothing that would indicate anything more than a suspicion & an attempt to find out. Tressel's openness and frankness is what always gets him in trouble.

The fact is, everyone knows that the OSU athletic administration, never misses anything. Furthermore the fact that the Assistant OSU AD, left to head the organization ...do you have any idea of just how powerful (and aware) the alumni association is?

As to infractions at YSU ...give me a break ...we are what we are ...we were what we were. What has happened has happened. Have you ever read the NCAA commendation that Tressel received after the Monus trial revelations? Here is aline of text taken directly from the NCAA infractions committee on the subject:

"The university self-reported the violations to the NCAA once they became known. The infractions were otherwise outside the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations and, as such, are normally not required to be reported and processed. The committee commended the university for its thorough and aggressive pursuit of information relating to the finding of violations, despite the fact that the statute of limitations applied to these violations." The NCAA found that no other University officials had knowledge of the agreement between Monus and Issac.

Now knowing this do you feel foolish in your comments? No, Why? Because "Where there is smoke there is fire". Yet you and the NCAA overstep your abilities in your comments.

So if you are looking to make some sort to synopsis. People have no respect for organizations. Rather they have respect for the man. Tressel is what he is ..the right man at the right time. We should all be happy to have him. It will be nice to hear people such as yourself attack his policies without bringing up unrelated past NCAA football issues.

[Pita]

Axaguy...your second post to the Penguin site.  Hate to be judge mental, but have to ask.  With What purpose do you post your dislike of Jim Tressel?  Those of us who travelled the miles with him while he coached at YSU, know the definite pride he brought to YSU.  So whatever your vendetta...pack it up and find another site to spread HATE.  Jim Tressel could teach you tons about being an honorable human being.  No I am not a relative, nor acquaintance, just someone who has deep respect for people who have EARNED it.  PEACE!!!!

[guinpen]

Not just talking about JT with this statement, but there are a lot of good folks out there that have made poor decisions. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and look at the big picture, see if all the goods out weight all the bad.

One great example was JoePa, did he make a bonehead decision, yep he did, but if you look at all the great things he did ( not just talking wins here ) he was a darn good man.

About JT, I for one was not a happy camper when he left and had no desire to every have him back in town - ever. My god he left us for the school down south somewhere, but after thinking about the whole thing for a while, I truly believe that he has a very good chance of making good things happen at YSU.

[axaguy]

Well, some feathers are certainly ruffled........... I simply wanted to see what people's "local" opinion was of an event. I didn't attack any one or say anything of dislike for Jim Tressel. I challenged us as a society if you read correctly. JT is local. No one made mention of my inclusion of Bruce Pearl in the discussion because he's not your guy or school/s and could probably care less about him. Those thinking I attacked JT are missing the point by a wide margin, and I never mention anything about any infractions at YSU.

I, personally, think JT was a great hire by OSU. Great coaching legacy including great success at YSU. Glad to see some Midwestern/Big10 success on a national stage. He was/is a great coach and did what OSU brought him in to do. Win football games. Lots of them and beat Michigan. Maybe the reverse order is more important. Just ask Earl Bruce and John Cooper about winning and enough. But make no mistake about it. OSU wants to win and win big and would probably spare no expense to do so. Correct me if I am wrong here.

The question was raised by others here about what people's perception was outside Ohio and YSU and I simply stated confirmation of that opinion. It's the same thing anywhere you go. The local folks often don't see the forest for the trees. People around the country without a vested interest look at things a little differently and maybe more objectively. This isn't an Ohio thing, happens everywhere. There's no vendetta, Pita, just impression and personal opinion. That personal opinion is formed on the same basis as your personal opinions are. Gathered from the same reports, stories, and media coverage how ever lacking, incomplete, biased or directed it may be. Fact of life.

I appreciate what guinpen said about "poor decisions." I think there is a difference between honest mistakes and avoidance. People make mistakes all the time and deserve second chances. I worked for a multinational corporation for a long time and mistakes didn't get people fired. Lying about them, covering them up, being evasive, incomplete in their reporting and avoiding their significance did. Real life, real business.

Sometimes wanting to win big and pressure to do so dulls our sense of well being and fair play. OSU wants to win big, as many places do. Some places put winning sports in proper perspective as the University of Chicago who dropped from D1 and big time sports for that reason. If the OSU administration, IAA,  "never misses anything" how did they misjudge the events that led to JT's demise there? Why did he actually leave? Resign on his own? Why? I don't remember if he was replaced (fired) or pressured to leave. if the program and his oversight (and the administration's) was so great why didn't this all play out and be recognized with full disclosure? Why isn't JT still there? His coaching didn’t get bad all of a sudden.

I wouldn't doubt that JT, Bruce Pearl, Kelvin Sampson, and many others, haven't committed mortal sins, killed anyone or violated specific laws or regulations directly but have been guilty of "side stepping" moral issues of integrity and honesty. These types of things aren't "honest" mistakes or poor judgments. They are calculated risks assumed by the violator in hope they won't be uncovered or exposed let alone explode before them.

Paterno’s sad saga at PSU has resulted in a much tainted legacy. He certainly has done many fine things for the university and community but his legacy will remain sullied by the Sandusky case. Why he did and didn’t do things will never be learned after his passing and an inability to question him directly and so his legacy stands. I don’t think he deliberately sidestepped anything but was genuinely confused on what to do or how to go about it because of his friendship and association with Sandusky but he was the man in charge, a leader  of men, and must take responsibility for his actions or inactions. Such is his legacy. If he were alive today I don’t think anyone would be voting him into a high position of authority at PSU or anywhere else as a result and I know I wouldn't be voting for Tressel to be president of a university, either.

We, as a society, seem to be willing turn a blind eye towards behaviors in lacks of integrity and bend the circumstances to fit our needs when necessary. We don’t live in a zero tolerance era for sure. Plenty of politicians have been offered the same tolerance at the expense of the citizens and voters across the country. Shame on us for accepting this. Just one man’s opinion.

Interesting to get different perspectives and debate between seasons……

Congratulations on YSU’s Horizon League Baseball tournament championship, BTW.

[SoupCity]

Axaguy, ever been guilty of "side-stepping" moral issues of integrity and honesty?

[IAA Fan]

I think you missed the point. You made a point on a chat board ...your response was not much was it?

Tressel's favoritism rating outside of Columbus and Youngstown is higher. For example, what city, outside of Ann Arbor, do you think has the greatest per-capita amount of Michigan fans? No question ...Columbus. In fact, If you compare Ann Arbor to Columbus ...there are far more heads rooting for the Wolverines in Columbus than in Ann Arbor.  Likewise, on a per capita basis, there are more OSU fans in Ann Arbor than anywhere else. Why? Obviously there are many people that hate the status quot ...or maybe daddy hit them once too many times as a child and was a Woody Hayes or Bo Schembechler lover ...who knows. However this dislike, or like, is much more devout than the common person throughout America ...that vast majority of which could care less and really has no idea who Jim, Woody and Bo even are.

I have lived in Columbus for over 20-years now and the amount of media that hit this town when a I-AA level, good Christian man took the reigns of a major program was beyond belief. The only thing more unbelievable was that Tressel lasted as long as he did.

The average person outside of the localities all say the same thing ...either whatever ESPN/ABC/Disney tells them to, or some configuration of  "the guy really did not do anything more than anyone else and boy did he get screwed by the NCAA". Or ...and/or they simply do not care.

Youngstown is strong Italian blue-collar community. JoPa is huge local favorite in Youngstown. Believe me, Jo spent may days in Youngstown during his life. Frankly, if I was an attorney, I would try to prove that the NCAA investigation led to his premature death. Look how quickly ESPN tried to cover of obvious evidence of his innocence? Then once his statue was torn down, they flap their arms and strut with the brownest of roosters.

[Observer]

Its pretty clear here, nostalgia of what used to be has thrown a lot of irrational emotion into this argument on both sides.  The key thread however is everybody agrees that he was at fault (in varying degrees) what is not agreed on is whether he has earned that redemption or deserves any.  Especially in a realm where he has no real experience, ie president.  The truth is he will probably rally the YSU troops and make huge steps to save the university, however whatever way he does this will be scrutinized not just by the vidicator but by espn and its Attorney General sports illlustrated.  So the real question is what good is saving the university if you cant bring a regional following to this university.  The outside world thinks this hire is a mistake, now while locally many think what the nation thinks of us means nothing, that is flawed logic, the sad fact is it does.  A college needs attendance to survive, Youngstowns' national visage is a bad one...point blank.  This hire seemingly did not help that.  Tressel has to tread very lightly and openly in order to make this work, and for the good of the talented kids in the area i hope this can happen.  I think the fear is that by bringing in the past, the past will arrive again, Youngstown wasn't much to look at back then besides athletics...and sorry to say DI-AA championships don't boost attendance.

[IAA Fan]

Agreed Observer. However, take it one-step further:

1. YSU has improved academically over the past few years, STEM certification, business and education accreditation. The campus is virtually unrecognizable, as compared to when I began attending in the 80s. It is twice as large.

2. Tressel needs and wants to be out of the national spotlight to have an impact (as president) at YSU. So he has no need (nor concern) for that attention. He needs to be a local favorite and accessible. As to ESPN ...I am confident they feel Tressel is back down where he belongs and never should have left in the first-place ...YSU. So coach T is now President T ...and ESPN will go on moving our sports coverage down from ESPN2, to ESPN3. All the while loving their new SEC head-coach and media outlet voting puppet in Columbus.

[axaguy]

To SoupCity, honestly, no. I have been placed in unpleasant situations in a couple of careers and have always disassociated myself with those with "weak knees" so to speak. I'm no saint by any means but have to live with my conscience and be able to sleep nights. I am now in an industry with quite a few folks who still sidestep those things with some regularity but have found quite a few more who don't. I choose to associate and partner with them.......

I am somewhat suspect of those who have to advertise their faith or morals by announcing they or their friends are good "Christian" people, as Tressel has been referred to here before..... I practice a faith, as I'm sure many others here and around, but  have don't need to advertise that or my position as if it deifies me more than others in some way..... Jim Tressel is/was a great football coach....what difference does it make if he's Christian or whatever? A few of those "good Christian men" and televangelists have been exposed as other than what they preach, so what does that prove.........

Integrity and honesty aren't the byproducts of only one religion/faith/belief. They are the byproduct of the man or woman's inside morals and code and how strongly they adhere to that...plain and simple.

Enough said. Have a great day.... Good luck in Bloomington.....