Ohio State University | The Fans Opinion

Terrelle Pryor’s Battle To Success

June 11, 2011 Leave a comment

Written By

Griffen Raustis

Recently I have interviewed UFL Offensive Tackle Ryan Cave and NFL nose tackle Chris Baker. After asking them about the Terrell Pryor situation both men’s answers pointed to Terrell playing in the United Football League.

As the NFL lockout moves deeper into the year there is a huge threat of a shorter season. The UFL is entering their third season and need Terrell Pryor to bring fans to the stadiums.

If Terrell decides to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft it would be very risky and time-consuming. Day by day Terrell knows that there’s a big chance there will not be a whole NFL season.

The UFL needs someone to bring crowds and their offering Terrell the gift of picking his team. If he does indeed go into the UFL he will bring a spark to the field. Terrell will learn more about the game and get a chance to learn from veterans about the game.

He also will not have to deal with the lockout frustration if he joins the UFL and will have his mind on the game. The United Football League will be the best choice for this young QB.

Filed under NCAA, NCAAFB, NFL, NFL Draft, NFL Lockout, UFL, UFL Football Tagged with Canadian Football League, Chris Baker, Football, Larry James, National Football League, NFL, NFL Supplemental Draft, Ohio State Buckeyes, Ohio State University, Terrelle Pryor, UFL, UFL News, UFL-Football, United Football League

If I were a Head Coach!

May 22, 2011 Leave a comment

It seems like throughout the NCAA today there are many highly recruited Division 1 athletes transferring to second or secondary schools due to academic problems or just plain getting in trouble.

The amazing thing is that there is always a school or coach ready to soak up these athletes and give them a free scholarship. What makes them think that if the athlete could not handle the academics of the first school they attended that the athlete would be able to handle the education level at their school? Unless they are admitting that their academics are not up to standard or maybe they are having a tutor do the schoolwork for the athlete.

There was an article posted on ESPN.go.com by Joe Shad detailing the transfer of Duron Carter (son of former NFL receiver Cris Carter) from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College to Alabama University coached by Nick Saban. Carter was originally recruited by The Ohio State University. Carter played in his freshman season and caught a touchdown but had to leave over academic issues. So after a year at Junior College where he had 44 catches for 690 yards and 10 touchdowns for Coffeyville he wanted to transfer back to a Division 1 school.

So of course a lot of the top programs began drooling over Duron Carter. Carter considered Oregon, LSU, Miami, Auburn. Just ask yourself if any of these schools have been in the news lately with allegations of recruiting violations? I am not saying that Duron Carter is doing anything wrong by trying to better his career.

I am just saying that the top-tier universities that are in the BCS year in and out are lowering their standards of recruiting for top talent. I believe that character counts. I do not believe it is fair to the great athletes through High School and into college who watch their character, their grades and are outstanding citizens.

These athletes are bumped from a free scholarship spot by an athlete that has natural talent but can’t keep up with the academics or just plain does not care about their academics or character on or off the field.

If the schools and universities held all the athletes to a higher standard without waiver I believe the athletes will have to conform. An athlete will know that if they get arrested in High School for shoplifting that it will mess up their opportunity to play at Alabama. They would have to play their career at a Junior College.

Now I understand the reason these schools and universities buckle to the athletes is because of the extreme pressure to win and the amount of money for the school or university on the table if they win. But I also know the concept of building anything is starting with an exceptional foundation.

I challenge all out top-tier BCS teams to build a great foundation of vented quality recruits who care about their academics and character on and off the field. And if there is an issue deal with it across the board. One set of discipline policy’s (not different from the backup punter to the starting quarterback) carried out with zero tolerance.

If we vent the athletes better in college better character athletes end up in the NFL. We will not be reading about a star linebacker getting arrested for marijuana possession every other week!

WE SPEAK OUR MINDS!

Filed under NCAA, NCAAFB Tagged with Alabama University, Coffeyville Kansas, Community college, Cris Carter, Duron Carter, head coach, Jim Tressel, Junior College, National Football League, NCAA, Nick Saban, Ohio State University

For the sake of Justice : FIRE JIM TRESSEL NOW!

May 19, 2011 Leave a comment

Is there a more visible head coach in the NCAA that has admitted to knowing about violations committed by the players on his team, admitted to not reporting the violation, sent an e-mail to a mentor of a player proving his knowledge, and covering up the situation then Jim Tressel? WHY DOES HE STILL HAVE A JOB AS A HEAD COACH IN THE NCAA?

Some coaches and players might view his actions as being loyal to his players and University at all costs. But I view it as a coach who has lost his moral attributes and now will do anything to win. If Tressel will cover up knowledge that his players took improper benefits and that the FBI was investigating the Tattoo shop that provided those benefits than what will he hide next?

This is not a situation where the NCAA needs to fine him and suspend him for a certain amount of games. This calls for a ban from coaching in the NCAA for the rest of his life. The NCAA needs to make an example out of Jim Tressel here. There have been to many coaches violating the rules without significant consequences.

Lets look at the recent Bruce Pearl, former Tennessee Vols coach, and his violations. Pearl hosted a cookout for recruits, made impermissible phone calls to recruits, and had incidental contact with a recruit. By NCAA standards these violations are not that heinous. But his fatal flaw was lying about them to an NCAA investigator. His denials started to unravel when a snapshot of the cookout surfaced and the phone calls were dug up by Comply and Verify technology. Once caught he gave a tearful apology at a press conference but the damage was already done. Tennessee University should have fired him on the spot but they chose to fine and suspend him and let him coach into the NCAA Basketball Tournament before firing him after the blowout loss to Michigan.

Now if Ohio State University did not learn by the fallout in the press and by fans all across the nation that the Bruce Pearl situation caused then I guess they will never learn. It is not a matter of if Jim Tressel will be punished and how much. OSU should immediately terminate his contract for cause. If the University won’t do it then the Governor of Ohio should since Tressel is a state employee.

As I stated earlier the NCAA needs to ban Jim Tressel for life from coaching in the NCAA at any level for life. This will set an example of what happens when you try to cover up major NCAA violations. So far the NCAA has been inconsistent in issuing punishment on coaches who have violated the rules and admitted it after the fact. This is not a case of a coach finding out about violations and then reporting them and accepting the consequences that follow for acknowledging it happened on his watch. This is a situation where he deliberately did not report what he knew his star players were doing and essentially covered it up.

We as college football fans are part of the branch of justice that holds the NCAA and the coaches to uphold their rules and moral standards. We need to send a clear message to the NCAA and the OSU that we will not stand for this anymore. The NCAA needs to clean up college sports on every level and do it consistently. Once the standard is in place it does not matter if you coach at a Division III level school or if you coach at the number one ranked school in the nation the rules are the same. You can’t suspend a Division III coach for a season and the coach of the number one ranked school 3 games. That’s not justice.

I implore the NCAA to set up a program to where every single program that participates in their system be investigated and audited over the next 5 years. Establish a tier system of violations and proper penalties for each tier. If violations discovered then deal out the punishment in a swift way. If it means that we ban popular coaches from never coaching in the NCAA again then so be it!

AS FANS WE ARE SICK OF THE DIRTY SPORTS PROGRAMS ACROSS THE NCAA! I am not naïve enough to think that the NCAA can eradicate all corruption in college sports. But they can definitely change it and show the American public they really care about the issue and are done with just slapping programs on the wrist for violations!

Filed under NCAAFB Tagged with 2004 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Bruce Pearl, Fire Jim Tressel Now, Gene Smith, Jim Tressel, National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, Ohio State University, Tennessee University