L2readsarcasm

They can appeal and will be turned down.  It will  be interesting if any declare for the draft.

Yes, you got it right.  Just call me Mr. Sarcasm!

And, Ringo, you get a gold star also -- the nexus for my sarcasm was an oblique reference to the Frank and Boo show.

The entire system is a farce.  Put me in the players should be paid camp.  Now I don't think they should be making anything over $10,000 a year, but c'mon.  How much money has the NCAA, Ohio State, and Nike made selling #2 jerseys?  How much money has Cam Newton generated in ticket and jersey sales.  How much have both of these guys made the NCAA, their respective schools, and ESPN/FOX in bowl game ratings?  Everyone is making millions of dollars off of these athletes except the athletes.

And the way the NCAA hands down punishments is flat-out aggregious.  If they broke the rule, then they sit immediately.  Same goes for Newton.  Given that 4 or the 5 guys are juniors, I would be willing to bet not one of them serves any punishment.  They'll all head to the NCAA prematurely, which hurts the school and the athlete, as I think all of them would be better served by another year in college.

The entire 'they get a free education' argument is also mute.  Simple fact is that if minor league basketball or football existed, none of these top tier guys would even go to college.  They have very little, if any, interest at all in attending class.

Now that I think of it, OU should probably forfeit their 2004 MAC Championship.  After the game at the Clevelander I bought shots for Diamond Gladney, Michael Green and James Bridgewater.  Tear down the banner!

Anyone on BA know where I could get a 2008 Big tweleven Champion ring?

He's not gonna do that since it punishes the rest of the players on the team who have worked so hard with being stuck with the 2nd team QB  for a bowl game.

Wait.....does that mean for Ohio.....naaaa....never mind.

LOL  Pata! But what these players have done is far worse than merely signing a picture in exchange for some ink. These players were selling their gifts and awards. If, this is a big if, slosu had any pride they would dismiss these players for what they have done and how they have "pimped" their own school. Typical, last time I saw Terrell Cryor run for more than 10 yards, he was carrying a car stereo....

Aside from the suspension discussions, I feel that OSU is taking a bit of an identity hit themselves.  How would you feel that YOUR star player was out selling university given memorabilia such as the gold pants and award from the fiesta bowl just to have it sold on the streets for a few tats??... I think if Ohio St. had any pride in their program and tradition they would hope for pryor to leave for the draft.  He is just a winey, selfish, POS in my opinion, and this just tops it off.

At least get the fact right, they were trading autographs for tattoo's.  They were selling the other items for hard cash.

I do find it funny that they sell the gold pants, but even more funny the amount of people who don't know what the gold pants tradition is or when/how it was started. 

This whole thing smells of fandom vs playerdom and it's just another example of how we the fans want the players to care as much as we do, just to be reminded time and time again that they don't.

No, I have a friend who is a head student manager there and he said that the NCAA stepped in because of the money involved in this game.  Ohio State was originally going to sit them out but NCAA wanted people to go to this game so they stepped in and let them play.  It wasn't Tressel's call here.  Most Columbusers and OSU alum are not pissed about the punishments, they're pissed that the players did this.  Many of them actually would have rather seen them sit out the game so it wouldn't be considered tarnished if there was a win.

Do you not understand how the punishment system works? The NCAA handed down the suspensions, NOT OSU, so Tressel nor the AD had anything to do with this. And yes the athletes have the right to appeal, it is called due process and is a guaranteed right when property or value is being denied.

Don't be condescendingJCW.  We all know how that the NCAA imposes consequences and we all know about due process.   We aloso know that the NCAA is not fair and consistent when doing their  job.  A.J. Green sold an Independence Bowl Jersey for aa grand and got an immediate 4 games suspension - not the next year.  What I'm saying is that a coach and an A.D. with guts and integrity will impose their own consequences and handle things in house.  What we hear is OSU defending  these players by saying that we(OSU) did not educate them about rules. Secondly, the A.D. defends them by saying they were helping their families.  What Tressel (and the NCAA) should do is suspend fron the bowl game - not next year when most likely they'll be gone.[/QUOTE]

If we had a great track record with discipline I may agree with you, but we do not, in fact the AD took the power of discipline away from our coach.  There is a reason for that.  As for why the NCAA does what they do, only they can answer that!  The Newton situation is way more serious than this, and was handled in a far more head scratching way.

I am with Ringo here, many OSU fans are not happy that these players sold things that the die hard OSU fan holds near and dear.  As for the NFL, let's be serious, TP is not a big NFL prospect at this time, and may never be, Posey is probably the best prospect of the bunch and I would be surprised if he went anywhere on the first day.

if you read the ESPN article Julie Posey essentially says that Delvar sold his ring for her. I guess this guy needs thrown in jail for taking something of value and selling it for his mother. If you know the Posey family this speaks volumes.

Wow, didn't see this angle coming from JCW. In other words, it's ok to break the rules or do something extremely unethical if it's for your family? OK, it's acceptable to sell something of value if the money is used for the greater good?
Just like Scam Newton's father trying to get paid to play, but he was trying to get the money for his church. I'm sure the Posey family is a wonderful group of people, but is that $2.5k really gonna make a big difference in their lives? After all, isn't he going to be in the NFL and making millions in a year or two?