The NCAA hasn't yet made official the punishments the Ohio St. Buckeyes will face for the great TattooGate scandal, the scandal that has seemed less and less outrageous as actual scandals have emerged all over the place. A few moments before the decree, the Columbus Dispatch broke media embargo ranks to report the NCAA will tack onto Ohio State's self-imposed sanctions the following:
- One-year postseason ban, which forbids a bowl trip, Big Ten Championship Game appearance, Big Ten title or national title.
- Nine scholarships lost over the next three years. Ohio State had recommended five scholarships.
- Three years of probation -- if any violations occur during this period, heavier punishments will follow. Ohio State had recommended two years.
Really not all that cataclysmic, but a decisive escalation from what Columbus had hoped for. USC has thrived despite a postseason ban, and Urban Meyer's recruiting dominance should allow Ohio State to do the same.
The worst of it reportedly goes to former coach Jim Tressel, who now has that expected show-cause penalty hanging over his head. That means any school that wants to hire Tressel must take it up with the NCAA for approval or else risk violations of its own.
For more, visit Ohio State blog Along The Olentangy and Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.