Ohio State to vacate 2010 season over tattoo scandal
Ohio State is vacating its wins from the 2010 football season, including its share of the Big Ten championship and the Buckeyes' victory over Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl.
Ohio State is vacating its wins from the 2010 football season, including its share of the Big Ten championship and the Buckeyes' victory over Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl.
Responding to the NCAA's investigation of a memorabilia-for-cash scandal that cost former coach Jim Tressel his job and led to star quarterback Terrelle Pryor leaving school, the university also said yesterday it is waiving a $250,000 fine imposed on Tressel and changing his resignation to a retirement.
The university also is putting the football program on probation for 2 years, which means there would be harsher penalties if any further wrongdoing is discovered.
Tressel found out in April 2010 that his players were taking improper benefits from a local tattoo-parlor owner, but did not report it to authorities for more than 9 months.
In other college news:
* The NCAA said it has accepted West Virginia's self-imposed sanctions that include 2 years' probation for major violations under former coaches Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart involving out-of-season coaching and the use of non-coaching staff to work with players.
* Georgia senior tailback Caleb King was declared academically ineligible for the 2011 season.
* Neil Dougherty, who coached the TCU basketball team for six seasons, died at age 50, reportedly fatally stricken while he was running.
Sport Stops
* Mark Cavendish captured the crash-marred seventh stage of the Tour de France in Chateauroux. Thor Hushovd kept the leader's yellow jersey.
* Feliciano Lopez beat Mardy Fish, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 8-6, and David Ferrer beat Andy Roddick, 7-6 (11), 7-5, 6-3, as Spain took a 2-0 lead over the United States in their Davis Cup quarterfinal in Austin, Texas . . . Elsewhere, it was Switzerland over Portugal, 2-0; Serbia over Sweden, 2-0; France over Germany, 2-0; and Argentina over Kazakhstan, 3-0.
* Dmitry Kulagin had 21 points in Russia's 79-74 quarterfinal victory over the United States in FIBA's Under-19 World Championship. Jeremy Lamb, of NCAA champion Connecticut, had 21 points for the U.S. (5-2). *