Top College News Subscribe to the Newsletter

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel not selected for Colts' job

periatt.1@osu.edu

Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012

Updated: Thursday, January 26, 2012 19:01

Tressel

Lantern file photo

Former OSU coach Jim Tressel addresses the media Jan. 3, 2011.

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was not named the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts Wednesday, despite being interviewed for the position more than once.

Colts owner Jim Irsay instead chose former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to lead his franchise after Indianapolis finished with a league-worst 2-14 record in 2011.

"I really believe Chuck is bringing a toughness, the leadership we need at this point for the franchise," Irsay said when introducing the new coach Thursday.

Tressel interviewed for the Colts' coaching job twice according to multiple reports.

On Monday, former Colts' coach and current NFL analyst at NBC Tony Dungy said he thought Tressel might land the job.

"I think Jim Irsay has his man in mind. It may be Jim Tressel, that's what I'm hearing," Dungy said on the Dan Patrick Show.

Tressel served as a consultant for the Colts during the 2011 season and helped the team make in-game replay decisions.

The Colts suspended Tressel until the seventh game of the season because of NCAA violations committed at OSU while Tressel was coach.

As a result of the violations, the NCAA issued OSU a one-year bowl ban and a reduction of nine scholarships over three years.

Tressel was served with a five-year show-cause penalty for his role in the violations. The penalty means that any NCAA institution that hires Tressel within the next five years could face sanctions.

Recommended: Articles that may interest you

1 comments

The Fan, Friend and Athlete...
Thu Jan 26 2012 23:40
It's sad that a college head coach is held with the same standards that we hold parents. I mean there is a reason that parents only have a "few" kids, at some point, you can't keep your thumb on every single child. So in Tressel's case and any other head coach of college football, if you don't know what the 125 players (the average number on a college team) are doing, and they make poor decisions, your held accountable. I mean seriously, why in college? In high school, if a star athlete decides to go out and do something illegal, the high school football coach doesn't loose his job! Nope, it's the parents that take the blunt of the burden, then the school punishes accordingly, of course, only to the athlete. Then there is the next level after college...and boy doesn't every single team have a bunch of criminals on them??? So they go get busted with a bunch of drugs, or have insane dog fighting rings, or anything else completely illegal and ignorant and what happens to the head coach, issues a statement..."we talked about this with the other teammates and we're working through this, and in no way does "X" team, franchise, nor the NFL tolerate this kind of behavior." and that's that, no firing of the head coach...no forced resignations. I mean seriously, in college football, these athletes are adults, what they do in their spare time, is a direct reflection of parenting, not the head coach, not the university, not the student body, but what they were taught growing up...the rights and wrongs of life. If I create an action that I know will cause a possible negative reaction, then I know that I am the one to blame for that action, not anyone around me, and definitely not my head coach.

To Tressel and all other head coaches that have taken the fall for the ignorant actions of athletes that were raised to know no boundary's, no consequence, and no respect for the opportunity in life given to them...you are sadly missed.

And to whomever will respond first, try to look at the entire process that happens here, please don't make a statement like, "well the issue is he knew about it, and didn't do anything about it, that's why he is gone." That is what the board that forced many great head coaches to resign have said, it's cheap and sleezy.







log out