Enterprise Journalism Release – August 4, 2011

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Buckeye Memorabilia Scandal
Outside the Lines (Sunday 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)
Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (Friday, 10 p.m., ESPN Radio)

Jim Tressel is gone now, in the wake of an investigation that found he had covered up NCAA violations involving Ohio State football players and memorabilia purchased by a local tattoo parlor owner. Ohio State administrators have offered to forfeit all victories and the co-Big Ten Championship from 2010, and will make their case for no additional penalties before the NCAA Committee on Infractions Friday in Indianapolis. However, as Tom Farrey reports on Sunday’s Outside the Lines, the roots of scandal can be traced back to the Buckeyes’ national championship of 2002 when the memorabilia market first exploded, aided by university-sponsored events that invited fans to get close to players and obtain signatures. Additionally, questions exist about how well administrators monitored Tressel, who in his 2005-06 performance review was rated by former Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger as “unacceptable” for his self-reporting of NCAA rules violations.

“I think it’s embedded in the culture to where many people want to give athletes things. Right now that’s against the rules, and coaches are willing to look the other way if it means keeping their kids on the field.” — David Ridpath, professor of sports administration at Ohio University, and a former NCAA rules compliance officer at Marshall University

Austin Hatch Surrounded by Support
ESPN.com

Austin Hatch, a Michigan basketball recruit from Indiana, continues to make progress after surviving his family’s second fatal plane crash. Still, friends and supporters wonder how much suffering one young man can handle. Elizabeth Merrill provides this Outside the Lines report.

“Year-of-the-Quarterback” Special Profiles Several Players
E:60 (Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN)

Josh Freeman: The Man with the Plan

https://youtu.be/iCDGoC8JmOA

Josh Freeman had it all planned out from an early age — light it up as a star player in high school, college and the NFL. Now, coming off a successful sophomore season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he is being considered one of the NFL’s future elite quarterbacks. How did he know? Jeff Chadiha reports.

G.J. Kinne: Overcomes Father’s Shooting

https://youtu.be/G00JeOgvyEg

G.J. Kinne is the star quarterback at the University of Tulsa with what appeared to be a bright future — until gunfire turned his world upside down, sending him reeling into a chaotic world of pain and confusion. What happened? Lisa Salters reports.

Life after Sports; Cockfighting; Ozzie Guillen
ESPN Deportes E:60 (Tuesday, 9 p.m., ESPN Deportes)

https://youtu.be/QhpsxT4YVfs

Tuesday’s episode features three segments: examines life after a successful sports career and the damaging health effects on an athlete’s body, focusing on former NBA player Fabricio Oberto, who retired after being diagnosed with heart problems; looks into the illegal world of cockfighting and its growing popularity throughout Latin America; profiles fiery Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

White Gold
SportsCenter (Sunday, 11 p.m., ESPN)

https://youtu.be/Ce0_xLwUrLg

By some estimates, more than 300 million golf balls are lost on golf courses throughout the United States each year. Not all remain lost. Golf ball retrieval is a hazardous yet profitable business for the hired scuba divers who seek lost balls from often murky course waters frequently infested with dangerous animals. Beneath the murky surface lurks more than the “white gold” they search for. Tom Rinaldi explores the unique business of golf ball retrieval.