Ohio State and Tressel, BuckeyeGrove.com, and the New York Times: Don’t Fire the Bum?

There is a certain thrill to a line of logic that skates along with facts that lead to one unassailable conclusion but then loops through a back swizzle and a camel spin to land in a solution that finds our brains twirling. Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel has been caught in a cover-up of the antics of his well-tattooed players who traded autographed Ohio State and Big Ten championship trinkets, shirts, and other memorabilia. Then there was the cover-up of his cover-up as he signed documents offering his assurance that he knew of no violations of NCAA rules in his program.  The Tressel antics have the irresistible pull of parody, “Okay, so, Eddie Rife’s tattoo parlor has lots of Ohio State stuff from my players, and my players are boasting some mighty find sleeves, but am I the tattoo parlor’s keeper?”

Ohio State’s president Gordon Gee is not alone with his Oliver Twist obsequiousness to mighty Mr. Bumble.  Mr. Gee expressed concern that Tressel might have him fired (See “Are you kidding?” March 10, 2011).  The commentators are also in sycophantic mode: They want to throw the book at Coach Tressel by having him keep his job. “The biggest tragedy of the whole situation was if he got fired.”[1] The Barometer did not see that conclusion coming.  Their theory goes that the hypocrisy will be difficult for Coach Tressel to handle. Actually, the hypocrisy does not affect the devious mind.  I’ve got a few bank robbers who would like to roam free at remote branches, preferably near the vault. We let Barry Minkow back around securities after his prison sentence for securities fraud – really didn’t work out so well. (See A Set-Back for Redemption, March 31, 2011) Allowing those who violate the rules at this level to keep their jobs defies logic.  Worse, inaction sends a signal that results, not values and rules, are all that matter.  Society can live with the fact that Coach Tressel will not have to face press questions about his hypocrisy.  He needs to go.


[1] William C. Rhode, “The Best Punishment for Tressel?  Let Him Stay,” New York Times, April 28, 2011, p. B12.

About mmjdiary

Professor Marianne Jennings is an emeritus professor of legal and ethical studies from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, retiring in 2011 after 35 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics and the legal environment of business. During her tenure at ASU, she served as director of the Joan and David Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics from 1995-1999. In 2006, she was appointed faculty director for the W.P. Carey Executive MBA Program. She has done consulting work for businesses and professional groups including AICPA, Boeing, Dial Corporation, Edward Jones, Mattel, Motorola, CFA Institute, Southern California Edison, the Institute of Internal Auditors, AIMR, DuPont, AES, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Motorola, Hy-Vee Foods, IBM, Bell Helicopter, Amgen, Raytheon, and VIAD. The sixth edition of her textbook, Case Studies in Business Ethics, was published in February 2011. The ninth edition of her textbook, Business: lts Legal, Ethical and Global Environment was published in January 2011. The 23rd edition of her book, Business Law: Principles and Cases, will be published in January 2013. The tenth edition of her book, Real Estate Law, will also be published in January 2013. Her book, A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success, and a Very Large Rabbit, a fable about business ethics, was chosen by Library Journal in 2004 as its business book of the year. A Business Tale was also a finalist for two other literary awards for 2004. In 2000 her book on corporate governance was published by the New York Times MBA Pocket Series. Her book on long-term success, Building a Business Through Good Times and Bad: Lessons from Fifteen Companies, Each With a Century of Dividends, was published in October 2002 and has been used by Booz, Allen, Hamilton for its work on business longevity. Her latest book, The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse was published by St. Martin’s Press in July 2006 and has been a finalist for two book awards. Her weekly columns are syndicated around the country, and her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Reader's Digest. A collection of her essays, Nobody Fixes Real Carrot Sticks Anymore, first published in 1994 is still being published. She has been a commentator on business issues on All Things Considered for National Public Radio. She has served on four boards of directors, including Arizona Public Service (1987-2000), Zealous Capital Corporation, and the Center for Children with Chronic Illness and Disability at the University of Minnesota. She was appointed to the board of advisors for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators in 2004 and served on the board of trustees for Think Arizona, a public policy think tank. She has appeared on CNBC, CBS This Morning, the Today Show, and CBS Evening News. In 2010 she was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Business Ethics by Trust Across America. Her books have been translated into four different languages. She received the British Emerald award for authoring one of their top 50 articles in management publications, chosen from over 15,000 articles. Personal: Married since 1976 to Terry H. Jennings, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Deputy County Attorney; five children: Sarah, Sam, and John, and the late Claire and Hannah Jennings.
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