Paige One: Grownups Can Be So Stupid
By Tony Paige
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As someone who has coached young players in a variety of sports from age seven to 12, it is amazing how much you have to wonder if grown men know that they have to be above reproach when working with said youngsters.
Case in points, former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Tressel is a demigod in the Buckeye state, won a national championship, but is out as head coach because he couldn't follow a simple rule that we all know too well: if you see (or hear) something, say something.
When Tressel heard from a former player, who is now a lawyer, that his current players, including star QB Terrelle Pryor, were selling Ohio State memorabilia for tattoos and other perks, Tressel announced he'd get right on it.
Instead, he sat on it. He denied he knew anything about it, until a trail of dreaded emails (12 in all) showed him to be a liar.
And this man was supposed to be developing the character of young men.
If anyone who is old enough to remember the Presidency of Richard Nixon, knows the cover up is worse than the crime.
When the story first broke, OSU president Gordon Gee, was asked if he was gong to dismiss Tressel, the seemingly-educated president stated he hoped the coach didn't dismiss him.
Nice.
Former OSU players are starting to come out of the woodwork saying this stuff has been going on since Tressel's second year.
Nice.
Instead of a golden parachute, a future job in the athletic department and maybe even an Urban Meyer-like TV deal, Tressel's career is covered in his own crap.
Even if anyone wanted to hire the tainted coach, he'll be the new Kelvin Sampson, where a university will have to monitor him closely.
As a parent, I can do without the monitoring and the coach.
Stupidity, thy name is Tressel.
Then there is the case of Jersey Governor Christie who abused his power by using a state helicopter to go watch his son play high school baseball games.
I commend the very busy governor for taking time out to go watch his son play, but a helicopter?
He talked about how hard it is to travel by car to some of these games.
Poor baby.
A couple of weeks ago, my son's travel baseball team had to play in a tournament in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and all the parents checked the date and realized that there was a NASCAR race the same weekend as the tournament.
To make matters worse, we had to drive past the race track. There was no way around it. We shrugged our shoulders and made the almost three-hour trip -- by car -- and it turned out OK.
Maybe we should have asked the governor for use of the chopper.
I'm sure the kids would've love the ride and the parents would have made sure to keep "Christie One" as clean as possible. You know how messy 12-year-old can be. Besides, we're tax payers and Jersey residents.
It's the least the Gov could've done for us little people.
So now he has to go into his own pocket ($2,100), along with the state Republican Party ($1,200) to pay the helicopter bill.
Nice.
Stupidity thy name is Christie.
Christie will survive. Tressel?
Who's he again?
