I lead off this blog post by saying I am still a big Jim Tressel fan. I guess the evidence is overwhelming that he at best winked an eye to the numerous minor infractions that took place. My personal feeling is that he got into a comfort level with minor infractions. We all do it – going five or ten miles an hour going over the speed limit, subtly cheating on taxes, making a few extra copies on the job for personal use, maybe cutting the edge on the truth.
A year ago, I wrote a blog on how fast you can throw away a reputation. One mistake can be catastrophic. As I got to thinking about the whole Tressel affair, it occurred to me that minor infractions over a period of time build up a callousness to integrity. Little lies begat big lies. The only way I have found to combat this is to admit right then and there whether publicly or privately before God that I have messed up. Once you start down a slippery slope, it is hard to stop. I have to believe it is especially hard for Tressel who probably felt pretty comfortable with who he was even thought this winking against infractions was a part of it.
The one thing that came to mind was Achan’s sin in Joshua 7. Achan took a few things that were under the ban set by God when Jericho was destroyed. After being confronted by Joshua, he and all his family (emphasis mine) were condemned and stoned. The sin was minor – he took some stuff. The duplicity was also benign. His family overlooked the infraction. The penalty was an ignominious death. Seems kind of harsh to me, but God takes this sin stuff seriously.
I feel horrible for Tressel. This is a man revered in the Buckeye state and his reputation is forever tarnished despite the many good things he has done. His graduation rate is double what his predecessor was. He was the only college coach who actually taught a class. Plus he beat Michigan 9 out of 10 times. But all that was thrown away. I don’t think we have heard the last from him, but it can never be the same.
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