Sunday I obtained the complete email correspondence between Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, attorney Christopher Cicero and Terrelle Pryor “mentor” Ted Sarniak. (See below.)
On April 25, 2011, the COLUMBUS DISPATCH noted that it had also recently obtained Tressel’s complete email correspondence with Cicero and Sarniak, though in its subsequent report on the contents of those previously unseen emails, the Dispatch itself failed to post images of the copies of the complete email exchange between the three.
So why did Ohio State not include all of the Tressel emails in its March 8 press release, which included OSU’s self-report to the NCAA on Tressel’s NCAA violations? OSU spokesman Jim Lynch told the Dispatch on April 25:
“These emails do not raise any new matters. These emails were inadvertently omitted in the copying process for inclusion in the information that was provided on March 8.”
One of those electronic mail messages “inadvertently omitted in the copying process for inclusion in the information that was provided on March 8″ was Tressel forwarding a Cicero email to Pryor mentor Sarniak with the message:
This guy, Chris Cicero, is a criminal lawyer in town. He played here when I was an assistant coach in the early 1980s. He has always looked out for us. jt”
Sarniak then responded:
“Received the information. Ted”
During his March 8 press conference to explain why he did not report the NCAA violations to Ohio State officials, Tressel said,
“Confidentiality was requested by the attorney, so I followed that.”
In Ohio State’s March 8 self-report of the Tressel email-borne NCAA violations, it did not report to the NCAA that Tressel had forwarded any of the Cicero emails to Pryor mentor Sarniak.
Of Tressel’s defense, Ohio State noted in its official self-report to the NCAA:
“In particular, he (Tressel) was protecting the confidentiality of the attorney (which the attorney requested) and of the federal criminal investigation.”
The problem with Tressel’s confidentiality defense to the NCAA and the public was, of course, he forwarded Cicero’s very first email to Sarniak.
An April 2, 2010, email in which Cicero did not request confidentiality. (He did not do so until an April 16 email to Tressel.)
So how would the public have reacted to Tressel’s “confidentiality” defense had the email from Tressel to Sarniak not been “inadvertently omitted” in the March 8 document release by Ohio State to the media and public?
Is it unreasonable to think that Tressel would not have attempted such a defense if it was known to the public that he had forwarded Cicero’s first, confidentiality-free email to Terrelle Pryor mentor Ted Sarniak?
Lynch also, somehow, claimed to the Dispatch on April 25 that the NCAA did receive Tressel’s complete email correspondence in its self-report. Though that same report from OSU noted, “he (Tressel) was protecting the confidentiality of the attorney (which the attorney requested) and of the federal criminal investigation.”
Why would Ohio State allow Tressel to make such a defense in its self-report if it knew the NCAA had clear evidence that Tressel had not kept his email exchange with Cicero confidential?
The complete email correspondence between Tressel, Cicero and Sarniak is below.
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1:17 am on May 9th, 2011
Tressel is innocent mans being framed by all the medias and government and FBI. Please stop hurting innocent man
4:19 am on May 9th, 2011
Tressel is a guilty man that should be framed by all the media, government and FBI. Please stop protecting this guilty man.
Lying and omitting requested evidence is not what innocent people do.
5:41 am on May 9th, 2011
Tressel, Smith and Gee now look like knuckleheads. Not sure which of these Three Stooges is which, though.
7:39 am on May 9th, 2011
I don’t believe any of this…I read Tressel’s book. All of this stuff are made up lies to hurt a MAN OF INCREDIBLE INTEGRITY.
If anything he did it FOR THE KIDS.
Brooks please stop prosecuting this man. During his press conference in March I saw him bite his lower lip, pause, quiver slightly and look directly in the camera, just like another great man used to do….Bill Clinton.
Everybody does it, he didn’t know, he was protecting the investigation, he did it for the kids, he can’t keep track of everything with 85 kids — come on Brooks, lay off!
8:08 am on May 9th, 2011
Wow. I can’t believe that some people are actually defending an outright liar. Hey Joe, want to buy some lovely waterfront land in Florida?
I will write a book about being able to lift a bus over my head. If I can’t, can I just say I did it for the kids?
And btw, you either have integrity or you don’t. So which one is it? Did he lie several times, so his team would not be suspended and then again to the Big Ten Commissioner and the NCAA? Or does he have integrity? Sorry, it can’t be both.
He didn’t know? There are 10 emails above that clearly demonstrate he knew. He forwarded them. He responded to them. He read them. How can you say he didn’t know?
8:38 am on May 9th, 2011
@suavdaddy - I think your sarcasm detector isn’t working as I really doubt Joe was being serious.
Everyone makes mistakes. Jim Tressel is a good man and a good coach that made a mistake and I’m willing to overlook this one lie as long as there isn’t evidence of other issues. I’m pretty sure most Buckeye fans feel the same.
11:00 am on May 9th, 2011
I love how Hooley keeps attacking OSU by proxy by continuing to feed this website with information. Get a job loser.
12:48 pm on May 9th, 2011
Gotta admire the loyalty of Bucks fans. Of course, it’s easy to forgive a winner.
12:52 pm on May 9th, 2011
@Buckskin
“Everyone makes mistakes. Jim Tressel is a good man and a good coach that made a mistake and I’m willing to overlook this one lie”…it’s a BIG mistake!
What gets me is the Buck fans are just being downright delusional! Check Tress’s past, w/new hitting stands today about the Car Delaership! He did the same exact stuff at Youngstown! This is not “his first time”…get real Cbus!
2:59 pm on May 9th, 2011
it’s a BIG mistake!
–
seems like it’s several fairly sizeable mistakes to me. pooh oh his integrity or lack thereof.- he’s just another dude pretending to be someone that he is not.
3:45 pm on May 9th, 2011
Hey Buckskin,
How do you feel now with these new allegations that came out today? And how can you rationally call it one mistake, multiple mistakes have been happening since as far back as Clarett…
9:56 pm on May 9th, 2011
I can’t believe anyone can still back this guy…he is obviously a cheat and a liar.
9:37 am on May 10th, 2011
something has to happen…. and something has to happen soon. The more OSU keeps quiet and does nothing, the more people are going to keep digging and finding unpleasant things……Tress, thanks for all you’ve done, but you’ve gotta go.
10:17 am on May 10th, 2011
As a fan who saw his program go through the NCAA
wringer, OSU is doing all the wrong things now the lid’s
been blown off in denials, deflection and throwing up
transparent shields. Now, with the OSU Player Car Gate,
it’s obvious why Tressel desperately tried to cover up
the ‘Tats issue. He knew if that peep hole opened, there was an NCAA mine field waiting to go off with OSU. OSU had better become pro-active in clearing the table and it starts with dumping Tressel yesterday. I suspect Gene Smith’s in it up to his elbows and it’ll be Tressel who falls on the sword, not him.
10:40 am on May 10th, 2011
Come on guys lay off Tress and the guys. After all everybody does it. Everybody lies, everybody cheats, every body steals. Everybody gets discount cars, free cars. Moms, uncles get discounts. Not everybody’s the perfect person in the world. I mean everyone kills people, murders people…. Its all good!
11:10 am on May 10th, 2011
“They’re not really ‘rules,’ per se. more like, guidlines.”
11:40 am on May 10th, 2011
@Buckwheat- Terrelle?? is that you???
1:14 pm on May 10th, 2011
The way I see it Tressel was indeed attempting to protect the players so they would not face any sort of suspension from the University or the NCAA. However, he should have reported these violations to the NCAA itself. A liar and cheat he is not. This man is all about integrity and helping others that is exactly what he is doing in this situation, it was the wrong thing to do not to tell the NCAA, this coming from a diehard Ohio State fan and a rational sports analyst, and he should have acted differently should he face a larger suspension?….. Maybe. Should he get fired because of this situation or the program be on probation?…… Absolutely not. The actions of few should not affect the whole. Yes the players are absolutely and deserve the suspension, There are many players on this team that are capable of getting the job done on the field while the NCAA handles this situation.
1:33 pm on May 10th, 2011
Tressel has been lying and cheating since before OSU I am sure he knew Clarett didnt go to class.he will do anything to wih which he has done.Fire him now.Oh yes and why would this hurt there recruting as the players get anything they want and it will continue
1:47 pm on May 10th, 2011
mantooth = delusional (and bucknut fan)
2:05 pm on May 10th, 2011
Do anything to win? Obviously he has not been winning, besides this past year with Arkansas, our bowl games against SEC teams are terrible the only reason he is still around is because he consistently beats michigan year in and year out I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again if he loses to michigan in the next two years he will get fired. This came before the allegations with the players. Regarding the recruiting issue I think it will hurt the recruiting aspect. Ohio State is about integrity, how can one promise integrity of a university to a high school family when he has kept something from the NCAA, hopefully that made sense. The Clarett situation was totally different, he is a ignorant individual and has a large enough ego to support the state of Ohio. In response to Joe, I don’t see how I am delusional when I agree what he did was wrong, but yes you are correct I am a bucknut, (in fact I almost put my name as Bucknut).
4:12 pm on May 10th, 2011
@Kevin -Hey Buckskin,
How do you feel now with these new allegations that came out today? And how can you rationally call it one mistake, multiple mistakes have been happening
The Dispatch article came out on Saturday so I knew about them when I wrote my comment. I’m sure many of you will look at it as splitting hairs but all car purchases are reviewed by the compliance department not Jim Tressel and aren’t his responsibility. No doubt some things look fishy there but I’m waiting for the Ohio State and the NCAA report before I panic. If something is found then the Buckeyes rightly deserve a “lack of institutional control” penalty as the people who monitor these these would have missed it. If nothing is found then the only infraction is Jim Tressel’s lie of omission which I do expect him to get hammered. Like I said earlier, I still believe he’s a good man and I know nothing I say will convince many of you otherwise. I’m sure cynics will say but if he was losing we’d feel different and my response is …. if he was losing we’d get rid of him regardless of any infraction.
4:14 pm on May 10th, 2011
@Kevin in response to:
Hey Buckskin,
How do you feel now with these new allegations that came out today? And how can you rationally call it one mistake, multiple mistakes have been happening
The Dispatch article came out on Saturday so I knew about them when I wrote my comment. I’m sure many of you will look at it as splitting hairs but all car purchases are reviewed by the compliance department not Jim Tressel and aren’t his responsibility. No doubt some things look fishy there but I’m waiting for the Ohio State and the NCAA report before I panic. If something is found then the Buckeyes rightly deserve a “lack of institutional control” penalty as the people who monitor these these would have missed it. If nothing is found then the only infraction is Jim Tressel’s lie of omission which I do expect him to get hammered. Like I said earlier, I still believe he’s a good man and I know nothing I say will convince many of you otherwise. I’m sure cynics will say but if he was losing we’d feel different and my response is …. if he was losing we’d get rid of him regardless of any infraction.
4:49 pm on May 10th, 2011
Isn’t it amazing that there isn’t any “new articles/news” related to Auburn the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, because of the storms, the Bammers haven’t had time to make up stories about Auburn.
It’s sad that it took a storm to prove this………..but Bammers have taken a break from “why they got their butts kicked” in late November.
But hey, give ‘em a few weeks………they’ll be back to it soon.
How’s that “Stanley Mcclover, and Chaz Ramsey” investigation going? Where are the NCAA Investigators, who are still investigating Cam Newton? Where is all the “info” from Thibadeaux, LA?
That’s what I thought………………………..
We’ll spot you 24!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12:14 pm on May 11th, 2011
With Tressel integrity being in questioned. It reflects on the whole University and puts a QUESTION MARK around all the Big Ten titles we have won under him. With that be said NoBody is bigger than THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, he must resign or be FIRIED.
3:26 pm on May 11th, 2011
Mantooth said - “Ohio State is about integrity…”
Let me clarify…The Ohio State University, more NCAA violations in the last 10 years than any other FBS university.
Number 1, no school has more, the most, numero uno!!!
Congrats, you, your school and your coach should be proud.
9:05 pm on August 12th, 2011
Corruption And Cowardice In Ohio
As exposed in Sports Illustrated, OSU Coach Jim Tressel first claimed to be unaware of major NCAA violations in his program but then acknowledged that he had known about them. Now the Supreme Court of Ohio is going after the lawyer who ‘did the right thing’ by warning Tressel about those violations.
The Supreme Court of Ohio is going after that lawyer but the court refuses to fulfill its responsibility to investigate and disbar the Schottenstein, Zox, and Dunn (SZD) lawyer, Daniel R. Swetnam, who got caught with his clients Worthington Christian Schools (WCS) and Grace Brethren Church (GBC), while committing serious crimes (a 10-year Conspiracy of Criminal Negligence, Deception Fraud, and Cover-Ups) against thousands of children and parents (including Ohio Governor John Kasich) in regard to several known repeat child molesters (two who were the Youth Directors for elementary-age children).
For those facts, refer to the Columbus Dispatch newspaper series ‘THE ABCs OF BETRAYAL’, the web site www.ABCsOfBetrayal.com, and the web page ‘Cowardice Is Contagious’ at www.ABCsOfBetrayal.com/Cowardice.htm.
It is also outrageous that Columbus Ohio Prosecutor Robert S. Tobias refused to fulfill his responsibilities to prosecute the WCS and GBC administrators and their SZD attorney for those serious crimes. But then that very same prosecutor agreed to prosecute a parent (as requested by the SZD Law Firm) for simply asking two questions (the first as suggested by the Supreme Court of Ohio) about those crimes.
What we need in Ohio (and in the entire country) are lawyers like Chris Cicero who are willing to ‘do the right thing’ by warning the proper people when violations are being committed.
What we DO NOT need are incompetent and corrupt government workers who refuse to do the jobs that we pay them to do, lawyers and law firms that use and abuse the court system in an effort to intimidate and manipulate victims, and private schools and churches that practice and teach-by-example dangerous hypocrisy. Nor does Ohio need a Governor who remains silent and refuses to ‘do the right thing’ in regard to serious crimes committed against thousands of consumers and children (including his very own daughters). That politician also has a serious lack of courage.
Refer to the web page ‘Cowardice Is Contagious’ at www.ABCsOfBetrayal.com/Cowardice.htm.
Thank you,
Informed & Concerned Citizens for Children and Consumers