Hicks: Woody wouldve done the same thing
Advertisement
COLUMBUS, Ohio - ESPN analyst and former Michigan football player Desmond Howard offered his perspective on what Woody Hayes would have likely thought of Jim Tressel's recent transgressions.
That suggestion, at least to former Buckeye great offensive lineman John Hicks, couldn't be more inaccurate. Hicks, who played for Hayes in the early 1970s, had a different idea on what may have happened in a similar situation back at that time.
It hasn't been a month since Tressel resigned as Ohio State's head coach after it was found that he had previous knowledge of NCAA violations being committed by prominent athletes and not stepping forward.
Howard, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1991 while with the Wolverines, told the Omaha World-Herald that Woody wouldn't have reacted kindly to Tressel's decision-making.
The comment he made - which also was a play on the eventual demise of the legendary Hayes - has been the talk of the media this week.
"If Woody Hayes was around now," Howard told the Omaha World-Herald, "I'm thinking he would grab Jim Tressel by the collar and punch him in the throat."
Knowing Hayes the way Hicks did, the former Buckeye offensive lineman took exception to Howard's comments. Though Howard is a paid college football analyst with ESPN, Hicks inferred that he wasn't qualified to talk about what Hayes would or wouldn't have done.
"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Hicks said in a gentle, yet blunt manner. "He didn't know Woody Hayes."
Like Hayes, Tressel's illustrious tenure at Ohio State came to an unfortunate end that cast a dark cloud on the program. Also Like Hayes, Hicks expects that cloud to be temporary.
The Buckeye program is currently the target of an NCAA investigation and a hearing in early Aug. will determine if the team faces any more sanctions for the actions that eventually cost Tressel his job.
Though it was certainly a different time when Hayes was around, Hicks imagined that the legendary head coach would have reacted in the same way Tressel did - a direct contradiction of the comments Howard offered.
"He would have taken care of the players," Hicks said of Hayes. "He would have probably done the same thing, but it was a different time. He would have probably handled it pretty close to the way Tressel did. Try to work with players first."
Tressel had knowledge for months that former standout quarterback Terrelle Pryor - who has since left the program - and other prominent players had sold memorabilia given to them by Ohio State, a major NCAA violation.
Instead of coming forward to his superiors and offering the information, Tressel opted to deal with the situation in-house. Motivations for handling it that way have been questioned and it eventually was the reason Tressel felt he could continue on as Ohio State's head coach after a decade with the program.
Since news of Tressel's choice became common knowledge through the media, both he and Ohio State have been referred to as "dirty." Hicks, however, doesn't quite see it that way.
"Coach Tressel is a great person. He loved the university, he loved his kids, he was a well-centered individual. He didn't cheat, he didn't have to cheat," Hicks said. "What is going to come out at the end of the day, which will probably be some small print, there is no pay scheme here.
"The athletes don't get paid. They have to go to class. They have to perform citizens. They leave here as outstanding citizens. It is not an outlaw school. We have never had to (cheat). Our record stands for itself. I think this is a PR disaster both from the NCAA standpoint and the media. Terrelle Pryor is a great young man and he has been the center of all this and it is unfortunate."
Perhaps Tressel's responsibilities went far beyond what happened with the NCAA, Hicks asserted. Though on the surface it certainly looks like Tressel was dishonest to keep hopes at a 2010 national title still alive, Hicks thinks it's deeper than that.
"Jim Tressel recruited these kids, sat in their living rooms and each one of these parents got a commitment that he'd look after their child," Hicks said. "He didn't promise them they'll play, but he promised him a good education and his general welfare. Jim Tressel is going to go down as one of the greatest who ever coached here. I thought it was administration overreacting. They thought it was PR disaster. No, he's not a cheater."
Hicks has become used to the growing trend of comments that have targeted the school he loves. Most recently it came from Howard, a Michigan alum now as a member of the mainstream media.
But Hicks offered up one final suggestion to those who comment on Hayes and even Tressel.
"Bo Schembechler was a Woody clone. To date, they miss him up there," Hicks said. "They miss Bo. He was just like the old man. Grumpy, cantankerous, but you know where you stood with him. Those Michigan kids miss Bo, they miss him dearly. Well, they do down here in Columbus too and they're going to miss Jim Tressel. They don't know."
Ari Wasserman is a staff writer for BuckeyeGrove.com. He can be reached at Ari@BuckeyeGrove.com.
[rl]