Earlier this week, Ohio State legend Chris Spielman was quoted as saying he’d be surprised if Jim Tressel was coaching his beloved Buckeyes in 2011. The reason for that opinion, Spielman said, is that he “think[s] there’s more stuff coming out” in regards to the whole “situation” at the Columbus school.
Given his close ties to, and love for, his former school, Spielman’s opinions carry more weight than most. However, as it stands now, there doesn’t appear to be a change in Tressel’s status, at least from the coach’s side of the equation.
It was reported Friday that Tressel had retained the services of Gene Marsh to represent him in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions Aug. 12. Marsh, for those unfamiliar, is the former chairman of that committee (2004-2006) and currently, the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, specializes in compliance issues as an attorney for the Alabama law firm of Lightfoot, Franklin & White.
In a very brief interview with the Plain Dealer, Marsh told the paper that Tressel has no intention of resigning his post right now. That sentiment falls in line with what others have stated to the paper over the last week, as well as what we’ve consistently heard since the coach’s cover-up surfaced: Tressel has absolutely no intention of leaving the school of his own volition.
In a separate interview with the Birmingham News, Marsh, a ’78 graduate of OSU, said that Tressel’s Senatorial image may help him when he appears in front of the COI.
“Obviously, the track record should matter because some people’s track records are good and some people’s track records are bad,” Marsh said Friday. “I was on the committee for nine years. All I can say is it always mattered to me.”
Add it all up, and the hiring of Marsh, one of the most powerful and connected individuals when it comes to the NCAA, is yet another signal that Tressel remains committed to weathering this off-field storm and being in it for the long haul.
Pending the outcome of the August hearing and the continued support of his employers, of course.