Times wires
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the wake of football coach Jim Tressel's resignation, attention is focusing on the job security of Ohio State president Gordon Gee and athletic director Gene Smith.
Gee and Smith offered unwavering support for Tressel at a March 8 news conference.
Since then, it has become clearer that the NCAA may take a hard line on the university's transgressions, and Tressel's resignation under pressure was likely the first attempt to minimize damage to the university.
The university is already facing new allegations, including questions about cars driven by quarterback Terrelle Pryor and a growing number of alleged violations involving players' sales of OSU memorabilia. Ohio State faces an Aug. 12 date with the NCAA's committee on infractions, which could lead to vacated games and seasons, a bowl ban and recruiting limitations.
Ohio State trustees referred calls to Gee's office, and both Gee and Smith declined comment.
Both were thought to be distancing themselves from Tressel — despite their earlier praise of the coach's integrity and honesty — in the weeks leading up to Monday's resignation.
Tressel stepped aside in the midst of an NCAA investigation. Five top players were suspended in December for the first five games of the 2011 season for accepting cash and tattoos from the owner of a tattoo parlor.
SEC meetings open: Georgia coach Mark Richt started a media session at the SEC meetings in Destin with a flub: He knocked over a glass of water on a conference table, ruining a couple of tape recorders.
When he started speaking on the week's most heated topic, Richt was low key on oversigning and grayshirting.
"I'm just going to listen to what everyone has to say," Richt said before a meeting of coaches, where he was outnumbered by those who don't want further recruiting class restrictions.
The sides are split on the proposal to limit each team to 25 signees in a class. The current limit is 28.
Oversigning became an issue around the conference the past few months. Several coaches have been criticized for signing an excessive amount of players then making room for them later by releasing players from scholarships or having players take medical exemptions.
Coaches and athletic directors meet together today; the presidents vote Friday.
Florida and Georgia are on the same side with possibly the minority opinion.
Gators coach Will Muschamp was curt when he said, "We don't oversign."
Huskers QB to transfer: Backup quarterback Cody Green will transfer after getting beaten out by Taylor Martinez for the starter's job last fall and having failed to make headway in the spring against new challengers. Recruiting services pegged Green as one of the top 10 prospects in the nation when he was coming out of Dayton, Texas, two years ago.
KU coordinator retires: Defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, former head coach at Louisiana Tech and North Carolina, is retiring after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The school said Torbush, who also served as linebackers coach, will have surgery soon and expects a full recovery.
Torbush, 59, was one of the first assistants Turner Gill hired after he was hired as head coach following the 2009 season. Torbush has also been defensive coordinator at North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas A&M.
Basketball: NBA assistant Damon Stoudamire will join Memphis coach Josh Pastner's staff as an assistant, pending approval by university officials. Stoudamire has spent the past two years as a Memphis Grizzlies assistant, and his duties included coaching the team's 2010 summer league squad.
men's golf: Florida (300) was tied for 14th after the first round of the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla., 17 shots behind leader Georgia Tech. UF's top individuals were Bank Vongvanij and Andres Echavarria, both at 2-over 74, seven behind leader James White of Georgia Tech.