Jim Tressel's Ohio State Coaching Career Ended Abruptly Due to a Controversial Scandal

Before transitioning to politics and university administration, Jim Tressel was the head football coach for the Youngstown State Penguins and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Throughout his career — which spanned from 1986 to 2010 — Jim's teams won multiple national championships and earned him numerous accolades.

However, Jim Tressel's tenure as a football coach ended abruptly with his resignation in May 2011 after a scandal emerged that led to a series of NCAA investigations. Here's what you need to know about the controversy.

On Dec. 22, 2010, the NCAA suspended five Ohio State players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, for the first five games of the 2011 season. The suspension stemmed from the players receiving improper benefits from a tattoo parlor owner in exchange for autographed memorabilia.

Jim Tressel had learned of these violations months earlier, in April 2010, when he received emails from Chris Cicero, a local attorney and former Ohio State football player.

Despite knowing about the violations, Tressel failed to report the information to the NCAA or Ohio State administration, as required. Instead, he kept it hidden for several months, which raised serious questions about his integrity and commitment to NCAA rules.

At the time, Tressel claimed he didn't know who to contact upon learning of the violations and later suggested he withheld action due to concerns about confidentiality. However, he reportedly forwarded the first email to Terrelle Pryor's mentor immediately.

Tressel's failure to act, coupled with efforts to downplay or mislead the university and the public about his knowledge, deepened the controversy. The former coach even signed a written statement swearing that he didn't know of any rule-breaking, despite being aware of the violations for months.

When the story broke in December 2010, both the NCAA and Ohio State launched investigations. While the involved players received five-game suspensions, Tressel was only suspended for two games. However, he later requested that his suspension match the players' five-game penalty, which the university accepted.

Ohio State president Gordon Gee initially stated that Tressel would not lose his job, but mounting pressure from the media and the university led to Tressel's resignation on May 30, 2011.

Tressel's abrupt departure came after he publicly admitted his failure to report the violations. The university imposed additional penalties, including vacating wins from the 2010 season, and the NCAA slapped Tressel with a five-year show-cause penalty, barring him from coaching at any NCAA school during that period.

As expected, the controversy dealt a severe blow to both Tressel's career and Ohio State's football program. Despite being a respected and successful coach before the scandal, Tressel's legacy was forever tarnished.

In December 2011, the NCAA placed Ohio State on probation for another year and banned the school from postseason play in 2012 due to major violations under Tressel's watch.

Tressel's five-year show-cause penalty remained in effect until Dec. 19, 2016, meaning any NCAA program wishing to hire him needed to justify the decision to avoid sanctions.