The Men Of Cheating And Gray

I’ve stayed away from Cargate and Tatgate. If for no other reason than I don’t feel like spending my time telling you what you may have already suspected about Ohio State. The program knows the rules, and doesn’t follow them. Ohio State, almost openly mocks the NCAA because it knows that for the most part, a slap on the wrist is the worst that they’ll get.

Clearly I’m envious right? My hate for OSU comes from form of inferiority complex, I’m just mad that Penn State doesn’t win the big game more often. Oh I forgot, you don’t think we’re your rival. You don’t even think we belong in the Big Ten. After all I know, that when Penn State beats Indiana for the 456th time my favorite thing to do it to point, laugh, and say: ” HA.HA..WE BEAT YOU NOT-RIVAL!! SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR IN THE GAME I DON”T CARE ABOUT!”

But actually, I’m not envious at all. Since 2000, Ohio State has reported to the NCAA more than 375 violations. What about that is to envy? Sure, you’ve got a few Big Ten titles, and a National Championship, but cheating your way to the top is like looking at the scrabble peices while you play against your mom. Maybe you sleep well at night, but you’ve still got that cheaters blood on your hands. History doesn’t remember a cheater for the wins he got away with, it remembers that  you cheated, and that is all.

Normally, I’d stop the post at that. A brief exclamation of my disgust for a school, and a hope that they’d get what they’d deserve. But today I can’t.

"Would you rather win games no matter what the cost? Would you rather be a mediocre team that plays by the rules as often as possible aka BYU?….I firmly believe from the bottom of my broken sports heart that bending the rules or breaking the rules happens at every institution where sports is played from pee wee football to the NFL…"

Just a simple little phrase coming from our friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray is enough to make you pull your hair out. And at the end of the day, it’s that attitude that makes me hope more and more that Ohio State gets the book thrown at them. The idea that “Oh everybody cheats, we just got caught” is enough to make me side with you. You’ve got be a seriously pompous ass if you think that’ll work.

But to answer your question: Yes. I’d rather be mediocre and win on occasion. In fact, I root for a team that does just that. What is the point of playing the game if you already know you aren’t even playing fair. It’s like going to a paintball match with a hand gun and yelling “YES I GOT THE FLAG, AND YOU ALL SUCK AT THIS GAME” you can’t seriously expect me to believe that cheating to the top feels as good as getting there. Even if you don’t care how it feels, there isn’t any possible way to run a credible sport with that approach. And if the sport is no longer credible, what exactly have you won? Being the best cheater isn’t a life skill I’d teach my kids.

But where have I heard this before?

"“Not everybody’s the perfect person in the world. I mean everyone kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me, whatever.”"

Oh that’s right, the holy Golden Pants God himself said that. Ironically Ohio State fans shook their collective heads when Terrelle Pryor said that, and now, it’s their battle cry. Just change the words and you’ve got yourself a modern day OSU fan.
 

"“Not everybody’s the perfect person in the world. I mean, everyone cheats, oversigning here, $100 handshakes there, you do it, I do it, whatever”"

But you were ready for that weren’t you?

"And if you have ever been to State College, PA you know there is little for those players to do to get caught in and if they are getting cars or cash there is no real media out there to dig deep to find it for the NCAA to investigate."

That’s right, we’ve only just now received the Internet here, and not to mention I don’t have to send my article via-telegraph to Altoona to be published on a dial-up modem. But to the point, suggesting that there isn’t enough media to dig up the details. First of all, that’s ridiculous. If the media can spend a summer following Joe Paterno’s bowel movements, they can do some investigating, and secondly, there is absolutely nothing  a Pittsburgh media outlet would love to do more than hang Penn State out to dry. Trust me when I tell you that people are doing their hardest to drag this program down. All they’re finding are crickets.

So why haven’t they found anything? Simply because nothing happens, and when things do happen, they’re dealt with in public. In 1997 Curtis Enis was suspended by Paterno for the bowl game for accepting a suit from an agent. Everbody knew that he was leaving for the NFL, but Paterno made an example of him. When rules were broken, there was a price to pay. It didn’t matter what game was next, or who you were, you owned up to your mistakes.

I’m sure that you’ll want to bring up Silas Redd peeing on a tree, or Dan Connor prank calling coaches, or maybe even Andrew Quarless getting drunk one too many times. Penn State isn’t perfect, but if you want to attempt to compare the two programs on the level of moral standards this is going to be a short conversation.

That in the end is where the division lies. Jim Tressel was content with looking the other way, hoping that the tattoos were hushed, winning himself a BCS Bowl and Big Ten Title. Maybe it paid off, perhaps it is more important to Ohio State fans to win at whatever cost, that wining with a stacked deck is better than earning it. At this point however, a Big Ten title doesn’t seem to be worth all of this abuse. Then again:

"I have said before, I don’t care about morals on my teams and I expect them to bend and break every rule they can to get more wins. I want them to cheat just a little more then the others so they have a better shot at winning NCs."

So back to feeling inferior. No I don’t feel inferior to you Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Your lacking morals, tainted victories, and sideways view of the world isn’t something I look up to. I could live with you taking it like a man, like a real winner, but instead you and your fanbase has turned to us in a last gasp asking for us to rescue you, to understand the injustice that has taken place. You aren’t at fault, the media is picking on you, and the NCAA is digging deeper than it needs to. If I could only see it your way I wouldn’t feel so hateful.

Sadly, I don’t feel bad for you. You’ve made a mockery of a rules system and tainted a sport. Maybe everybody else does it. Maybe Penn State is just built ontop over coverups and hush money. You aren’t the only school to mess up, I’ll give you that. But frankly, you’ve had this coming to you for a long time now. I hope you enjoy it, because I know I will.