Fanning the flames at OSU

Based on what we've read the last few days, Jim Tressel is:
UThe savior of the Ohio State football program;
UA coach who has had his head in the sand when it comes to knowledge of what his players are doing away from the field, or
UA snake oil salesman, ready and willing to present a public persona as the poster child for integrity in college athletics, but just under the surface lies a coach concerned only with winning, at any price.
According to those same reports, Maurice Clarett is:
UA bad person;
UA mean-spirited person, or
UA really, bad, mean-spirited person.
Throw it against the walland see what sticks
It's interesting that the farther one travels from the epicenter of this controversy -- Columbus -- the less respect there is for Tressel and Ohio State.
It seems they figure where there's smoke there is fire, and according to them, there's a conflagration burning along the banks of the Olentangy.
They recall the NCAA investigation here about 10 years ago, when it was discovered the former Youngstown State University trustee Michael I. "Mickey" Monus, who was later indicted on fraud and embezzlement charges, was a "sugar daddy" to then-quarterback Ray Isaac.
Tressel denied any knowledge of the payoffs to Isaac, which included cash and a car, and the NCAA agreed to the university's self-imposed sanctions.
What they seemed to overlook is the fact that one player -- one -- in Tressel's 15 years here was found to take illegal payments from a booster.
(Granted, there were other incidents involving Tressel's players that involved legal authorities to become involved.)
The nadir of the attacks came Friday on the ESPN2 show "Cold Pizza" when Denver Post columnist Woody Paige delivered a lengthy diatribe on the evils of Tressel and the entire Ohio State athletic department.
Evidently, the holier than thou Paige has grown weary, or chooses to ignore, the activities of a football program in his own state, which allegedly provided sex and drugs to prospective student-athletes.
At the very least, ESPN, its writers and guests are pretty two-faced about this story. Its magazine, at least, has sunk to the lowest common denominator -- print the story and worry about the facts later. That's because they know far more readers remember the original accusation than a mea culpa that might come later.
They seem eager to accept as undeniable truth the accusations made by Clarett, yet assume OSU athletic director Andy Geiger and Tressel are lying when they deny the charges.
The cynic in me figures that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. We'd have to be pretty naive to think that there aren't a few student-athletes at every big-time program in the country with their hands extended, palms up, and some booster more than willing and happy to pass along some cash and/or gifts.
And I'd like to believe Tressel when he says he wasn't aware of the alleged gifts and cash provided to Clarett, if not others.
We believe whomwe choose to
The national media, who talk to Tressel once a year, if that, refuse to believe the genuineness of his character values. Those of us who worked with Tressel for many of his 15 years at YSU, who went on road trips and got to see him when there wasn't a camera light in face, want to believe him.
And it did make me cringe when Geiger all but said the words, "He's lying," when asked about Clarett's charges. As the head of a multi-million dollar enterprise, Geiger needs to take the high road, as difficult as it may be.
Which brings us back to Clarett. One should wonder what his motivation was to bring these charges to light at this particular time. He has been assailed by the media and his motives questioned by some in the NFL.
More than Clarett himself, we question the motives of those who are counseling him and guiding him in his life decisions.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.