Well, in another "surprise," Ohio State has reported more violations. Apparently 3 players received "benefits of $300 or less" in the report from CBS Sports. The players involved were Jordan Hall, Travis Howard, and Corey Brown. Hall and Howard are both starters and were expected to contribute much in the wake of the previous suspension of 4 Ohio States players (it would have been 5, but Terrelle Pryor left for the NFL).
What is most "surprising" about this announcement was that this was virtually the same violations that Jim Tressel failed to report before last football season. Ohio State is currently in the process of reporting these violations to the NCAA and receiving their punishment.
Though full details on this in regards to the previous investigation have not been released, Ohio State's self-imposed sanctions of a 1 game suspension are sure to have little impact since it is against Akron. Ohio State is listed at more than a 34 point favorite over Akron.
Let's hope that the NCAA is able to look past Ohio State's scandal and get to the facts of the investigation. If Tressel was the person to blame for the past violations, then why are they still occurring? There obviously appears to be some sort of lack of institutional control within the athletic department. And if so, Ohio State's punishment is sure to be more severe than first speculated.
In fact, the Big Ten recently confirmed that if a team is banned from the post season, (bowl games) they will be unable to play in the Big Ten Championship game. This is important because if Ohio State was hypothetically banned from a bowl game, they would be unable to win the Big Ten for at least a couple years, ending their current Big Ten Championship streak.
