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SI Story & NCAA Opens Additional Investigations Into Ohio State

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The idea that the Buckeyes would not be subject to the Lack Of Institutional Control (LOIC) penalty? Probably out the window now. This Sports Illustrated report is a culmination of a multiple-month investigation, perhaps borne out of SI's anger that Yahoo! Sports was consistently scooping SI on the big stories. Send a slew of reporters to any major college campus and stuff like this will surface. Not the exact stuff, perhaps, as most schools don't buy their quarterback, but still plenty of NCAA violations. The story shows that the cheating was widespread at each stop of Tressel's coaching career, and that he has repeatedly claimed ignorance. Many scandals listed. SI story is most damning to OSU's 11-day Dec. investigation that declared "no other violations." Rush job to get Sugar Bowl eligible Not conducting a real investigation is where Gene Smith and E. Gordon Gee are guilty. The bosses didn't want the truth. Complicity of OSU administrators/coaches is the story here. Tattoos, etc. is just the street level stuff -Dan Wetzel Key Quotes: "SI learned that the memorabilia-for-tattoos violations actually stretched back to 2002, Tressel's second season at Ohio State, and involved at least 28 players -- 22 more than the university has acknowledged. Those numbers include, beyond the six suspended players, an additional nine current players as well as nine former players whose alleged wrongdoing might fall within the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations on violations." "Now NCAA investigators and Ohio State are both looking into the use of cars by several current Buckeyes, including Pryor, who, a source close to one of the investigations told SI, might have driven as many as eight cars in his three years in Columbus. (Ohio State declined to make Pryor available for comment.) Former Buckeyes basketball player Mark Titus posted on his blog on May 24 that it was common knowledge among students that football players were driving cars too pricey for their means. "You'd have to be blind to not notice it," he wrote. Former wide receiver Ray Small confirmed last week to The Lantern, the Ohio State student newspaper, that he got a "deal" on a car from a Columbus dealer, but he did not provide the terms." ~ The players were provided weed and other items at a tattoo parlor, where they hung out upstairs constantly. Update: Terelle Pryor arrived at the athletic center in a Nissan 350z with temp tags from May 24. He waved to the cameras. There will be more to come from this.