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Jim Tressel is a smart man. He’s smart enough to understand that possibly challenging for a National Championship next year is much more important than winning a meaningless bowl. He’s smart enough to understand that student-athletes really love the athlete part of it. So whenever there’s a chance to play, they want to play. He’s also, apparently, a good salesman because he basically sold ice to his Eskimo suspended players. Follow me now.

Tressel somehow sold juniors Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Dan Herron that they would be able to play in the Sugar Bowl only if they promised not to enter the NFL draft and return to Ohio State to serve a five game suspension.

No way they would accept that deal, right? Wrong.

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel said today that the six players suspended for the start of next season have pledged to return for next year, otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl.

That boy is good.

Of course, there’s nothing to bind them to that promise - other than the potential anger of Tressel and how they’re regarded once they leave Ohio State.

Tressel also said the players would not be benched by him in any way for the Sugar Bowl - for a series, for a quarter - as any form of team punishment. He said all the decisions about playing time would be made only from a football standpoint.

It has already been reported that Sugar Bowl officials lobbied to keep the players in the game, so it seems that they would’ve played anyway. The kids could walk, but that seems highly unlikely. So it sounds like the only person benefiting from this whole thing is Jim Tressel.

That boy is good.

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By NoGutsNoGlory - Jabberhead, Contributing Author

http://forums.sportsjabber.net/sjforums/showthread.php?t=74406