The NCAA's report on just how hard the Ohio St. Buckeyes have been hit due to the great tattoo coverup: it is out now. As reported, the Buckeyes will miss postseason play next year, lose nine scholarships through 2014-15, and are now on probation through Dec. 2014. That's in addition to vacated 2010 wins, forfeited bowl winnings and campus disassociation with Terrelle Pryor.
But if Ohio State's apparent strategy really was to pin the troubles on Jim Tressel, it looks like it worked. Tressel faces a five-year show-cause penalty, meaning he essentially cannot coach a college football team for the next five years. In order to hire him, a school would have to get special NCAA approval.
The punishment will have impact lasting well beyond that, though, since he's now tarnished for good. Not to mention recruiting against Tressel would be a piece of cake for any competing program, even 10 years down the road, since Ohio State and the NCAA have both portrayed him as the prime culprit here.
Quoth the NCAA:
"Of great concern to the committee was the fact that the former head coach became aware of these violations and decided not to report the violations to institutional officials, the Big Ten Conference or the NCAA," the committee stated in its report.
For more, visit Ohio State blog Along The Olentangy and Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.