E. Gordon Gee on Ohio State Tattoo Scandal: "I think everyone won"

E. Gordon Gee became President at West Virginia University in March, less than a year after his announcing his retirement from Ohio State, but discussed his time in Columbus with Cleveland.com’s Doug Lesmerises earlier this week. Regarding the situation in which Terrelle Pryor and several other Buckeyes were caught trading memorabilia for tattoos and/or cash, and head coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign, Gee said:

While life remains great for Gee, and he seems to believe that Tressel’s happy in football exile as new president of Youngstown State, everything didn’t work out so tidily for Ohio State’s players. DeVier Posey, for example, was suspended after selling his Big Ten championship ring for $1,200 to support his single mother, who had four kids, and was suspended again for allegedly accepting too much money for a summer job. (These claims were dubious.)

Terrelle Pryor’s five-game suspension carried over to the NFL, for some reason, and cost him over $110,000. Though the Buckeyes have been successful on the field under Urban Meyer, players and fans of that undefeated 2012 team will probably always have a sour taste over not playing for a national championship.

[Photo via AP]