COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel was told by the school that he did a poor job of self-reporting NCAA violations years before he failed to tell his bosses that players were selling championship rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia, a coverup that cost him his job.
In an evaluation of Tressel’s job performance from 2005-06, then-athletic director Andy Geiger rated Tressel “unacceptable” in terms of self-reporting rules violations in a timely manner.
The coach also was warned in a separate letter that he and his staff needed to do a better job of monitoring the cars the Buckeyes were driving — an issue that would arise again this spring.
The documents were part of a mountain of public records released Friday by Ohio State dealing with Tressel and the ongoing scandal that has sullied one of the nation’s elite football programs.
Tressel received a letter of reprimand from then-athletic director Andy Geiger for giving a recruit a Buckeyes jersey — a clear NCAA violation — before he had even coached his first game.
In spite of a sparkling 106-22 record and winning the 2002 national championship, Tressel was forced to step down May 30 after it became clear he had knowingly played ineligible players during the 2010 season.
Footnote.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said offensive tackle Anthony Oden has been dismissed from the football team after his second arrest in the last year for driving while intoxicated.
