Tressel Safe at Ohio State Until Bottom Line Affected (Opinion)

As of this writing, Jim Tressel is still employed as the head football coach at Ohio State University.

That could change any day, of course. A steady stream of half-truths, outright lies and hypocrisy, after all, have become as identifiable with Tressel as those snazzy sweater vests he favors.

But Tressel won’t get fired for any of that. If Ohio State truly was outraged by the way its football coach has conducted himself, the trigger already would’ve been pulled.

Instead, Ohio State likely will wait and see how severely the NCAA decides to punish Tressel.

Don’t think so? Chew on these numbers:

• Ohio State poured more money ($32.3 million) into its football program during the 2008-2009 school year than any other school in the country.

(That number comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics report.)

• Ohio State, during that same school year, totaled $68.19 million in gross revenue. Only Texas ($87.5 million) brought in more than that.

• During the 2009-2010 school year, the most recent for which the DOE Equity in Athletic information is available, Ohio State’s football team brought in $63.75 million in gross revenue. That’s almost $32 million more than the program’s expenses for the same period.

Add the fact the Buckeyes practically have been shoo-ins for Bowl Championship Series trips, and it’s clear Ohio State has been a successful business under Tressel. That’s true even considering his salary of more than $3.5 million per year.

Whether Ohio State ultimately decides to keep paying that kind of money to a coach whose squeaky-clean image has been submarined in recent months remains to be seen. Even ESPN college football analyst Robert Smith — a former Buckeye — wondered as much recently.

Smith, in addressing the NCAA’s ongoing investigation of the program, essentially said it’s Jim Tressel’s brand that’s being tarnished because of the current mess. Ohio State’s brand, meanwhile, is taking a lesser, temporary hit.

To some extent, Smith is right. Regardless of what happens with the NCAA investigation, Ohio State likely will bounce back faster than Tressel.

What Smith might be missing, though, is the extent of the hit Ohio State’s brand stands to take. Sanctions — and it’s hard to believe more than Tressel’s five-game suspension isn’t on the way — hurt business.

For starters, the fact Tressel won’t be on the sideline for five games — or maybe more — hurts Ohio State’s chances of winning those games. Winning fewer games translates into making less money.

Ticket sales usually suffer when wins diminish, for starters, which leads to potential losses in areas like concessions, souvenirs, etc. It’s a trickle-down kind of thing.

If more serious sanctions are levied, the economic hit could be even more severe. Just think about the money Ohio State stands to lose if penalties like scholarship reductions or bans on TV and bowl appearances are applied.

In that case, Ohio State could go from the standard-bearer for football in the Midwest to a punchline like Michigan in the relative blink of an eye. Surely that’s not the direction Ohio State brass want to take.

So stay tuned to the Tressel saga. It no doubt will provide compelling theater.

The sad truth, however, is Tressel isn’t in danger of losing his job for bringing shame and embarrassment to Ohio State. He’s already done that.

Instead, Tressel will lose his job only when his presence hurts Ohio State’s bottom line. That’s because college football, in case you haven’t noticed, is as much a business as it is a sport.