bradgator2;n280169 said:
I'm surprised his affair wasn't mentioned.
that "rumor" still doesn't get the airplay it deserves in the context of him leaving. Players knew it, so you know it's not a secret. I really don't know any of the details other than he "allegedly" cheated on his wife with a younger women and his wife found out.
The other thing not really spoken of is that he basically had the OSU job before he left. So here's the timeline.
April 2010 - Tressel is aware of potential NCAA violations
12/7/2010 - Justice Dept notifies OSU that is had several pieces of OSU memorabilia in the tattoo parlor
12/8/2010 - Meyer announces retirement from UF
3/8/2011 - OSU suspends Tressel for 2 games
5/30/2011 - Jim Tressel resigns from OSU
I know from a very reliable source that Meyer and OSU verbally agreed to terms within the week following Tressel's resignation. So it's not difficult to connect the dots. Tressel finds out that something is going on. At some point he tells the University. When OSU is contacted by Justice, they realize they can't keep a lid on it. Three months later, Tressel is suspended. Nearly three months later he resigns and verbal agreement reached with Urban.
Some assumptions must be made.
1) At some point between Urban's 1st retirement and 2nd retirement, he is in contact with OSU
2) At some point prior to 12/7/2010, OSU has put together a plan and already knows Tressel's resignation is a legitimate possibility
It really isn't a tough call for Urban. He's burned out and wants out. The time table is perfect. He formally accepts the job just shy of a year from his 2nd retirement. He looks like an a-hole to UF fans, but no one else really cares. He likely had influence over the interim coach decision. If Tressel didn't resign, Urban still got out of UF, recharged his battery, and had a good job. He would be the most sought after college football coach until he decided what job to take.
I think Urban knew that the Tressel resignation was more likely to happen than not, and if it didn't happen he would still be out from UF.