We Will Be Back

Memorial Day weekend brought a little bit of everything for me this year. I stayed on campus Friday and Saturday, and came home on Sunday for a couple of graduation parties and got in some much needed chill time with two of my best friends in the ManCave. The grad parties were ya know, grad parties. Can't complain about the free food and seeing some people that I hadn't seen in a while to catch up. Last night was great-nothing beats being with those guys and killing Zombies-nothing.

As I awoke on this Monday, it was with a weird taste in my mouth. No, I didn't do anything stupid last night I promise, but the weird taste was after checking my phone and looking at numerous text messages from ESPN telling me that Jim Tressel has resigned as the coach of The Ohio State Buckeyes football team.

I know that many of you are expecting this post to be all lovey dovey on Tressel because I'm a Buckeye and all Buckeye fans do is talk about how awesome our program is. I'm here to tell you that this definitely not the case regarding my mindset right now. Tressel, amid all the allegations and trying to protect his reputation has made the right decision in my eyes. I am not going to sit here and lie to you all and say that I'm not disappointed or sad to see him go, because I am. Jim Tressel, for his 10 seasons at Ohio State, was easily one of the best (and most successful) coaches in the nation. He will be missed.

Now I'm not sure how many Buckeye fans actually read this or anything I put on here (the only reason I would is if I literally had nothing else to do with myself) but if you are a Buckeye fan/student/athlete I'm warning you: what I'm about to get into may make you upset.

I'd like to think that for the most part I'm a relatively knowledgable sport fan, and not too die-hard where it gets annoying. Some of you may think this, but I just want those to know that I see myself as a realist. Look, Tressel made a mistake. He was trying to help his players out and that's commendable. But after learning of the wrongdoings that his players have done and trying to hook quarterback Terrelle Pryor up with his "mentor" and what not, I've decided to look at that as him trying to help out his players. Every player, no matter what sport, what level, wants their coach to be a players coach. Someone who is willing to be there for you and help you out in difficult situations. Tressel wanted to make his players better men, because he himself is a great man. Now, aside from doing this, he should have honored his contract and told Athletic Director Gene Smith or President E. Gordon Gee about the infractions and taken self-imposed penalties from the University. He didn't. He flat out did not. And when the NCAA got involved and asked him if he had known about these problems that happened before the 2010-2011 season and he said no, he sealed his fate. This flat lie, saved in ink when he signed the paper stating that he did not know of the infractions, did in his career at the helm of the Buckeyes. That's the truth. There is no way around it.

I love Jim Tressel. As a Buckeye, how could you not? The guy won 82.7% of his games at Ohio State, the 2002 National Title, and was 9-1 against Michigan. He won games, and did it in a fashion that wasn't to embarrass the opposing team, but to respect them. Yes, he was conservative and pissed off a lot of Buckeye fans along the way, but the dude WON games. The fans who were always upset that he didn't win the National Championship every year, always expected more and more from him and his teams fail to realize this. Members of Buckeye Nation are spoiled. People, that's why everyone hates us and loves to hate us. Pending the NCAA investigation about the tattoo scandal and cover up involving Tressel, the football program is going to face some penalties that I'm sure are going to suck. The NCAA is going to try and make an example out of us, much like they did USC a few years back and we deserve it. Tressel did it to himself, and his resignation shouldn't really come as a surprise. Lest we forget what happened after Woody Hayes (arguably THE greatest college football coach to walk the grounds at Ohio State) punched Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman in the 1978 Gator Bowl. The next day, he was fired. Bang. Just like that. Tressel is lucky that this didn't happen to him, and as he stated earlier today, it is in his as well as the University's best interest that he resign.

We cannot be upset about it, we just need to accept it and move on. For all you Buckeye fans who were always mad that he only won one title while at Ohio State and that was all, you're about to be in for a huge wake up call. Get ready to come down from cloud nine a little bit, and know what is feels like to be mediocre. I don't want it to happen and I'm not saying it will, but I can almost guarantee our program will be put on probation-meaning no postseason play, possible loss of scholarships, and last season's wins being vacated because of all that has transpired. It is going to be beyond difficult for interim coach Luke Fickell as well as whoever Ohio State signs as their next coach to keep up the tradition Tressel had of winning at least 10 games every year, going to BCS bowls, and beating Michigan. I know we will still beat Michigan, for the simple fact that they suck, but Buckeye fans are about to realize how good we all had it. And as the saying always goes, you never know what you have until its gone.

Tressel will be missed, there is no doubt about that. I'll miss him and the sweater vest swag that he always brought to the field, no matter what the weather was. But we will get past this. We will overcome. Sh*t happens, a wonderful man made a mistake and now he must pay for it. But Buckeye Nation will be back.

We will be back.

Proud Buckeye who will deeply miss Jim Tressel,

Eric Seger

Daily Segs