At the beginning of the year, Ohio State was the red-headed step child of the Big Ten and perhaps of all college football, taking beatings in the pocketbook, the press, as well as on the field. But after a shocking week of scandal involving the Penn State coaching staff, the Buckeyes are now being seen in a different light.
At a press conference held on Thursday, head coach Luke Fickell discussed the changing perception of Ohio Sate.
“We came into the year being hated by many because of our place in college football and the scandal we just went through in the off-season, and it’s hard to move forward in the national spotlight,” said Fickell. “But now with everything going on at PSU, people see us now as what we really are — just a terrible football team.”
Athletic director Gene Smith praised the students of the university for their mercy and patience while Jim Tressel and others were being investigated.
“We again want to thank our wonderful students,” Smith said in a written statement. “We were concerned that mass vest burnings would be held on campus, but to our students’ credit, they totally understood that integrity was not a cornerstone to our success here at Ohio State.”
