Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has been suspended for five games and is being fined $250,000 for violating NCAA rules concerning his football players selling signed memorabilia. It is being investigated but authorities believe that the players have sold or traded championship rings, signed jerseys and cleats.
There are a couple of different roads we can go down here. For one, it does seem unfair that players can’t make a little money on the side. The fact is, Ohio State football players are famous, and should be able to earn money for that. Selling some jerseys isn’t that bad, is it?
If the schools can’t pay the players to play, why not let them sell stuff like that?
Another thought on this conundrum is that Tressel should have just told the truth. Tressel knew the rules, he had to of; he’s been the coach at Ohio State for a decade. But the worst was yet to come.
Thanks to a Columbus Dispatch report, we found out that Tressel knew about the scandal and tried to either ignore it or cover it up. Then, he denied it; but, as the Dispatch dug up, Tressel had emailed people trying to find a way out of the mess.
While Sinclair does not have a football team, one thing that we do have is rules. There are people on campus who feel that rules are meant to be broken, but that should never be the case. Rules that are violated have repercussions, as is the case with Buckeye coach, Jim Tressel.
Some people complain that their library privileges have been revoked or their no longer permitted on campus. To that we say, the library rules are enforced and stated. So much so that when we hear the rules we often feel it necessary to roll our eyes. Rules are clear. Students are not to behave in a manner that is not disruptive to other students i.e. fighting, cursing or yelling.
Rules are meant to keep us away from harming others or doing unnecessary harm to ourselves. Before pointing the finger, take a minute to think about the action that happened when the rule violation occurred.
Tressel and some of his star players are now paying the price for breaking the rule. We can argue about the rules being fair or not, but they are enforced and the NCAA makes it clear.
The lesson is, adhere to the rules because in the end, Sinclair will be much more beneficial to your education without violations of any sort.