Ohio State fines Tressel, but won’t cover costs

When Ohio State hit Jim Tressel with a $250,000 fine for violating NCAA rules, it felt just.

But now, Athletic Director Gene Smith told The Associated Press Tuesday that the fine probably won’t cover the cost of the investigation.

The most disappointing news might be that Smith also said he didn’t know when Tressel’s NCAA problems would be resolved.

The Associated Press did some serious digging on this one. Using the Freedom of Information Act, the AP obtained a copy of Tressel’s NCAA compliance form. In it, Tressel signs his name to a document that certifies he has reported any NCAA violations to his superiors.

But, for the five previous months his players had likely broken NCAA rules and that in April of 2010, he was contacted and told his players were under investigation.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Smith said Tressel did not at first apologize for breaking NCAA rules, and that only after meeting with Smith did the coach finally say he was sorry.

But this wasn’t the first time a rules violation has occurred.

Two years ago, The Columbus Dispatch reported that since the turn of the century, Ohio State had reported to the NCAA more than 375 violations – the most of any of the 69 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.