At the Chicago public libraries, at least, Jim Tressel?s ?The Winner?s Manual? sits in the self-help section, not with the sports books.
These days the Ohio State coach doesn?t resemble a winner, let alone a guy qualified to pump out 268 holier-than-thou pages about the subject. His ethical sins, the lying and covering up of knowledge of his players? NCAA violations, have prompted roundhouse after uppercut from the media. A few body blows to his character have added to the battering.
The latest shot came Monday with the release of the NCAA?s Notice of Allegations. The document provided little new information about the case but resurrected the calls: Tressel?s a fraud, a fake. He?s a fibber, should be fired.
Like usual, Tressel remained quiet. He has apologized, but the critics have questioned his remorse. Is he truly sorry? Is he a fall guy for his program and administration? Does he really care at all?
Answers and insight are in short supply so far. Maybe ?The Winner?s Manual?, Tressel?s self-described approach to developing a whole person, will provide some.
?I?ve seen the positives of setting a goal and pushing a team of players to achieve it, working together and striving for something as a team. But I?ve also seen the destructive force of that kind of ruthless search and what it can do to young people and the coaches who try to win at all costs.?
The above passage comes from the first page of the book?s prologue. It grew popular Monday thanks to the Twitter account of Rand Getlin, a lawyer and sports consultant.
The sentiment advances a popular theory that perhaps the pursuit of more wins and more glory, Big Ten and national championships, pushed Tressel to cover for his players. His actions may well destroy part of his legacy. The coach predicted this, too.
?The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.
?Discipline is what you do when no one else is looking.?
?Discipline? and ?responsibility? serve as two of the Big Ten Fundamentals, the core tenets of ?The Winner?s Manual.?
For moments, Tressel has whiffed on both, which only makes him fallible. But he admits to forgetting those values for nine months. How can two of the 10 most important concepts of your success, important enough to print and charge $25 per copy, slip for so long?
Sure, Tressel might have felt responsible to protect a federal investigation, or to shield Terrelle Pryor and DeVier Posey from some sort of danger. But he lost sight of a greater responsibility to the rest of the team and the program, a responsibility spelled out in his contract and in the NCAA rulebook.
When no one was watching, Tressel failed, too. He hid information, perhaps hoping it would fade long after Pryor, Posey and the other guilty players finished their college careers. Instead, their actions have brought public shame to the program. And Tressel?s omissions have multiplied its size and scope.
By the epilogue, Tressel?s tattoo-gate motivations still aren?t crystal clear. This much is certain ? if he followed the book?s message, he?d work the sidelines this September instead of sitting out. His legacy would have less tarnish. Nobody would call for his job.
Yet here, the man behind the ?The Winner?s Manual? has become college football?s biggest loser. And Tressel, the best-selling self-help author, needs all the help he can get.
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