Former Ohio State quarterback Pandel Savic still supports Jim Tressel and blames Terrelle Pryor and a few others for bringing down the Buckeyes. Savic, who quarterbacked the Buckeyes to a Rose Bowl win in 1949, shared his thoughts with The Columbus Dispatch.
“First of all, we all love (former coach Jim) Tressel, and as far as I’m concerned, he got shafted because of the actions of (former quarterback Terrelle) Pryor, for one, and a few others,” Savic said. “I just don’t like the idea of him being let go. I think the world of the man, and he did a hell of a job for us.
I feel very badly that we treated Tressel in the manner that we’ve treated him. There’s no doubt the program has suffered indirectly, though I hope not too much with our recruiting. But everybody who has played there is always 100 percent behind the program, and that’s what we’re going to show.”
Savic’s attitude is reflective of the feelings of most Buckeyes fans. Just last month we told you about all the Ohio State fans who marched to Tressel’s house to support him. Nevermind that Tressel intentionally covered up for his players by lying to the school and NCAA. Nevermind that he knowingly cheated, these people still believe he did the right thing and that he was a respectable and honorable man. Simply put, they’re still smitten with the false identity created by the vest.
I don’t have a problem with Buckeyes fans supporting their program through good times and bad. I think it’s loyal of them to stand by Tressel for all the winning he accomplished at Ohio State. But if you’re going to be proud of what he accomplished, you have to support what the players under him did. Remember, Ohio State didn’t get busted just because a few players got tattoos and weed in exchange for memorabilia; they got hammered because their coach lied about it. That makes two cheaters, not one. Fans and ex-players shouldn’t single out the players when Tressel is at least equally as culpable.
