Off Tackle Empire, for Big Ten coverage

ESPN sued Ohio State University today, requesting that the state Supreme Court order the school to release emails among former coach Jim Tressel and others regarding Ted Sarniak, the mentor to former quarterback Terrelle Pryor. OSU denied the public records request by citing FERPA, a federal law designed to protect the privacy of students. ESPN lawyer John Greiner, based in Cincinnati, said in the court filing that the events surrounding OSU football are sad. "But that sadness does not mean that the events should be secret," the filing says.

Click the title for the link. Ohio State vacates all 12 of 2010's wins (including their Sugar Bowl and B1G Championship). Ohio State puts itself on 2 years of probation. Ohio State does not self-impose a future post-season ban or reduction in scholarships. Remember, this will be the floor for the final decision.

Tomorrow will be the day that Ohio State responds to the NCAA charges (thanks for doing it during your week!). From the article... "We've really been hurt by the fact that everybody in the athletic department has been indicted because of the actions of a few." said Athletic Director Gene Smith Of course, just about every team that has faced NCAA sanctions could say the same thing. The sticking point is which few committed the actions, and why didn't the school know what was going on? The fact that some of "the few" in this instance were the school's most high-profile figure and its most recognizable star athlete doesn't help the argument much. Brian Bennett is dead on with this observation: whatever Ohio State self-imposes in the response will serve as the floor for their eventual punishments.