? A boy named Tressel. In an effort to combat the cloud that's descended on the town with a dose of guerilla cuteness, today's Columbus Dispatch brings us a handful of the nearly two dozen Ohio kids named for disgraced Ohio State coach Jim Tressel since April 23, 2003, when the parents of Tressel J. Webb (right, in vest) kicked off the trend in the wake of the Buckeyes' undefeated, national championship season in Tressel's second year. Prior to that, birth records showed only two newborn Tressels in Ohio, one in 1961 and one in 1985, over the previous 44 years. Of the 20 Tressel-era Tressels born since '03, almost half (9) have the middle name "Hayes," presumably in honor of myth-making OSU legend Woody Hayes, who went out under less-than-graceful circumstances himself. [Columbus Dispatch]
? We're going to be just fine, thanks. Elsewhere, Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee assured nearly 50,000 graduates and family members in Ohio Stadium Sunday for commencement ceremonies that the ongoing scandal is "but a temporary condition" in the long-running glory reel of Buckeye history. "Let no one harbor any doubt that the history of this place is enduring and sustaining. Ohio Stadium stands today as it will ever more." In a separate interview, Gee told the Dispatch that details of Tressel's exit ?�including who owes and does owe what to whom ? should be completed this week.
And since he's no longer employed there, Tressel also didn't bother to show up at the mandatory rules seminar in Tampa he was assigned by the university as part of his penance for covering up NCAA violations. Come on, coach, who passes up a free trip to Tampa? [Associated Press, Columbus Dispatch]
? Thanks for coming. Administrators and coaches from both Tennessee and Boise State, on the other hand, were in Indianapolis this weekend for marathon appearances in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions to answer for an array of violations across both athletic departments. Boise State reps spent 13 hours behind closed doors on Friday concerning allegations that (among many other things) Bronco football coaches committed dozens of secondary violations between 2005 and 2008 by allowing prospective recruits to stay, ride and eat with current players during unofficial visits. On Saturday, ex-Tennessee coaches Lane Kiffin and Bruce Pearl spent a combined nine hours with the committee, in Kiffin's case to answer for the charge that he "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance" during his brief tenure as head Vol in 2009-10.
An official verdict from the NCAA on both cases is expected within 8 to 12 weeks, or, you know, whenever. [Associated Press]
? We'll take two. On the recruiting trail, Georgia landed the state's most coveted "package deal" on Sunday night, picking up dual commitments from Jenkins County High linemen Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach. At just 16 years old, Taylor already checks in at a full-grown 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, and is on the verge of five-star status as the 36th-ranked player on Rivals' initial list of the top 100 prospects in the country for 2012. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]
? Can I have your Hand in matrimony? Fellas, when the time comes in your life to pop the big question, take a note from Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones: Nothing says "eternal love" like a weather-beaten wood fence in the backyard:
The bride is Jones' longtime girlfriend, Sooner basketball player Whitney Hand, cementing their equally long-reserved status as Oklahoma's first couple. Good luck, you crazy kids. [Crimson and Cream Machine, The Oklahoman]
Quickly… Jury selection begins today in a wrongful death suit against Central Florida brought by the family of former Knight running back Ereck Plancher. … Wyoming is down to two scholarship quarterbacks after the weekend transfer of Emory Miller, one of three competing for the starting job in the spring. … Darryl Stonum remains indefinitely suspended from Michigan after pleading guilty to DUI charges last week. … Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Nebraska-Big Ten union. … Jesse Grandy is back at Ole Miss as a student, but not yet as a football player. … al.com takes the latest stab at setting the record straight about Auburn's reaction to Bear Bryant's death. … Wes Byrum is organizing a flash mob at next Saturday's Braves game. … And does anyone actually want to clean up college football?
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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