Mar 25, 2011
Report: Jim Tressel forwarded emails to Terrelle Pryor's mentor
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Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel did pass along the information he learned about his players violating NCAA rules last spring, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
But he didn't tell his bosses at Ohio State or to anyone involved with the NCAA.
He sent the information to quarterback Terrelle Pryor's mentor.
From The Columbus Dispatch's report:
Tressel forwarded the information to Ted Sarniak, a mentor to Terrelle Pryor, after the coach received emails warning that Pryor and at least one other player had sold memorabilia to a local tattoo-parlor owner who was under federal investigation for drug trafficking, multiple sources have confirmed to The Dispatch.Sarniak, 67, is a prominent businessman in Pryor's hometown of Jeannette, Pa. He befriended the quarterback years ago and accompanied him on recruiting trips to Ohio State and other universities.
After the situation at Ohio State was made public on March 8, Tressel said during a news conference that he kept the information to himself because he wasn't certain who at the school would be best to tell.
That day, it was announced that Tressel would be fined $250,000 and suspended for the first two games next season. After an appeal of the players' five-game suspension was denied last week, Tressel asked for a five-game suspension to match what the players received.
School officials told The Dispatch the following when asked if Tressel forwarded the email to Sarniak: "We are not discussing any issues relative to the case until it is resolved with the NCAA."
Sarniak, meanwhile, has not commented on the report. His wife told The Dispatch that the family would have no comment on the matter.
As for his ties to the program, they began when he served as Pryor's contact person during the recruiting process.
"Mr. Sarniak and Terrelle Pryor have been friends for a number of years, and their friendship dates back prior to Terrelle's enrollment at Ohio State," Ohio State director of compliance Doug Archie said in an email to the newspaper. "As the friendship developed, Mr. Sarniak is someone who Terrelle has reached out to for advice and guidance throughout his high-school and collegiate career."
