Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has taken aim at the NCAA and Sports Illustrated for how Jim Tressel and his players were portrayed and penalized during the “Tattoogate” scandal nearly 15 years ago.
On a recent episode of his podcast, “The Triple Option,” Meyer said he still holds a grudge about the situation that ultimately led to Tressel’s ouster and the suspensions levied to five players. After Tressel left in 2011, Luke Fickell stepped in as interim coach for the year before Meyer was hired in 2012.
“I know Jim Tressel,” Meyer said on the podcast. “I followed him, so I know exactly what his program was all about. And that (Sports Illustrated cover) was wrong. I mean, that was a mistake on a lot of fronts. The support Tressel received in Columbus, I don’t think was fair, and certainly the national [media], it’s actually a joke, to be honest with you.
“Remember now, competitive advantage (that Ohio State received from the scandal) negligible: None.”
Meyer would have to deal with some of the fallout of the scandal as his first Ohio State team was ineligible for postseason competition due to the situation. Those Buckeyes went 12-0.
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“I lived it,” Meyer said. “On a competitive scale, it’s (a) one. There’s no competitive advantage. There were some players trading memorabilia for tattoos, so competitive advantage, zero. Was it wrong? Yes. Jim Tressel was accused of lying. He was aware of this. He ended it. The inconsistency of that penalty to this day still bothers me.”
In January, Meyer was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Tressel, now Ohio’s Lt. Gov., might run for governor.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Urban Meyer still holds grudge over NCAA, Sports Illustrated’s treatment of Jim Tressel
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
