The tattoo-gate scandal at Ohio State which initially surfaced last December began as a case of players selling items of memorabilia in exchange for discounted services from a local tattoo parlor. The monetary value of the impermissible benefits received ended up totaling about $8,300.
The NCAA’s investigation of the program, though, is costing the Buckeyes a lot more than that.
According to an e-mail sent from tOSU athletics director Gene Smith to the Associated Press, the university’s athletic program is confirming coughing up a whopping $800,000 for the NCAA’s investigation of the program. BylawBlog -- a great resource on all things NCAA -- tweets that rate could reach as high as $1 million.
Ohio State’s NCAA dealings aren’t quite done yet. The school will appear in front of the Committee on Infractions this Friday to state their case against the Notice of Allegations against the program. Ohio State has already responded to the NOA with a 66-page letter dragging former coach Jim Tressel by rope through what appears to be hot coals and nuclear waste.
Tressel “resigned” back in May.
The NCAA could very well rule in favor of the Buckeyes, though. Ohio State has placed the blame of the investigation on Tressel’s shoulders and the NCAA has, in essence, agreed with that assertion by claiming Tressel was the only OSU staff member to have known about the potential for violations.