Contrary to the "wink and a nod" predicted by a large segment of the talking heads, all 5 of the kids have decided to honor their commitment to Tress and their teammates, return for their senior seasons, take their medicine and accept the consequences for their actions in terms of suspensions for next season. Of the 5, none were locks for the first round and 1 was unlikely to get drafted at all, but that said, 4 of the 5 would likely have been making alot of money playing football on Sunday next year rather than sitting on the bench watching their teammates and dealing with the constant stream of questions.....frankly I'm surprised they all came back but pleased. Obviously I'm biased and I'm certain there are those that disagree, but I like Coach's action, it's message to the team, the young men responsible and the outcome.....
Good for them, they regain some of their lost integrity. Can't have been easy to accept a 5 game suspension, no telling what will happen during that period. Their replacements could shine and they could end up as backups.
If there is a labor stoppage in the NFL as many predict, they may be playing sooner at OSU than if they had gone to the NFL.
Agree TOK....that is especially true of Boom Herron. There are many knowledgeable people in Columbus suggesting that Boom may never see the starting lineup again and that as a result his NFL stock will probably never be as high as it is at present.....the cup runneth over at running back in Columbus particularly with a couple young backs, Rod Smith and Carlos Hyde projected as the next coming of the Keith Byars/Robert Smith/Eddie Geoge/Mo Clarett/Beanie Wells type pedigree.... As for the others, they are unchallenged as the class of their positions....
In the category of "counting chickens before they are hatched" I do have to say that the deadline for filing was yesterday, the final results are not released until Tuesday from what I understand.....in years past Ohio State has issued a statement with the names of players that have declared early.....the absence of any statement is a good indication, but "offically" we'll have to wait until Tuesday....
Apparently it's a done deal....all 5 have kept their word to Tress and team and are staying......first year since 2003 we have not had an underclassman leave early. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2011/01/19/all-osu-juniors-will-come-back.html?sid=101
Reports are now the NCAA is reducing the suspension to 2 games. If true then OSU will only be without their serivces for Akron and Toledo...should be very manageable.
Hadn't seen that....over/under on the O-zone is still currently at about 4....be nice if they could get a couple of games under their belt before the trip to Lincoln! 8)
If this information is correct (I hope it is) it will be a pleasant surprise. I did not think the appeal would have much success.
....one of the doubting pundits is stepping up and showing that integrity is important to more than just the players... ...and I agree. Thanks Coach. http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten
So Ohio State actually gets to build quality depth and THEN get their best players back.. not a bad thing. I want to know how long Cammy juice will ever sit out?
EXACTLY So these kids who have been ripped (justifiably) in the media for what they did are still bad guys... yet they honored their word and will accept punishment. Where is the praise? Meanwhile, the celebration for CamClams is ongoing. This whole thing stinks like a backed up sewer system in the middle of a Georgia summer.
These poor, misguided young men are a long, long way from deserving any kind of praise, at least from moi.
This is not about the OSU players. This is about the NCAA. Why were these guys allowed to play in the bowl game? Why was Newton immediately reinstated? Why was AJ Greene suspended for 4 games and the NCAA took a month to rule. The NCAA does what they want to without regard to any rules.
I will praise them for keeping their word to their coach, teammates and fans in the face of potentially more lucrative alternatives for them personally....I believe it shows some commitment to something other than their own personal interests, actions contrary to what many very visible cynics/skeptics predicted. I won't praise them for the poor decisions they made when they were 18 or 19 year old freshmen. I will fault them for breaking the rules if they were aware of the specifics and/or the administration if the claims that they were unaware of the specifics is true. But I will also maintain some sense of perspective on just how "bad" those decisions were and not demonize these kids as has become popular in many parts.....they sold personal possessions/trinkets that they had earned and were given. In the grand scheme of poor personal decsions that young men make everywhere and on every team in the country, this is WAY down the list. Seriously? They didn't break the law, they didn't engage in criminal activity, they did not assault another individual - male or female, they didn't get drunk and get behind the wheel of a car..... the sanctimony from many parts of the college football world in light of the relative societal misdeeds of these "poor,misguided young men" is laughable...... :roll: