Sports

Report: Tressel Resigns As OSU Football Coach

May 30, 2011 / 9:29 AM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh

COLUMBUS, Ohio (KDKA) – Ohio State University's football program has come under fire recently and now, they'll be searching for a new head coach.

According to a report in The Columbus Dispatch, head coach Jim Tressel has resigned from his position.

Assistant coach Luke Fickell is expected to serve as the team's interim head coach for the upcoming season.

Tressel was already facing a five-game suspension for withholding information from the school's compliance office as well as the NCAA.

In December, six players on the team sold jerseys and other memorabilia to a tattoo parlor in Columbus, Ohio.

Tressel claimed he knew nothing about the incident at the time.

In January, an e-mail from a former player surfaced that showed Tressel knew about players being linked to the tattoo parlor since last April.

According to the terms of his contract, Tressel was required to share that e-mail with the compliance office, but failed to do so.

He was suspended for two games and fined $250,000. The players involved were suspended for five games.

Tressel requested that his suspension be increased to five so that it would be equal to his players' suspension.

Under Tressel, the Buckeyes have reached a BCS bowl game in each of the last six seasons and won the national title in 2002.