Ohio State University officials announced a self-imposed penalty to the NCAA of vacating wins from the 2010 football season as a penalty after a scandal that started with players selling memorabilia and trading them for tattoos.
The penalty includes vacating Ohio State's January Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported.
The university submitted its response to the NCAA on Friday to several questions that were listed in the NCAA's notice of allegations the university received in April.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said the decision to vacate the wins was not made lightly.
"All I know is this is significant. A lot of people may not view it that way externally, but this is significant," Smith said. "To vacate the 2010 season and to vacate the bowl game is significant in itself. When you think about all the other athletes who participated in those games, those records will be gone. The Big Ten championship is vacated. So the string of Big Ten championships we've enjoyed either outright or shared is broken."
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Ohio State Response
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Jim Tressel Response
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NCAA Investigation
It was also revealed on Friday that a fifth Ohio State player will be suspended for the first five games of the upcoming season for his involvement with the tattoo scandal, 10TV's Dom Tiberi reported.
The player was not identified.
Four other players tied to the scandal have already been suspended and will miss five games this fall. The scandal also led to coach Jim Tressel's resignation and quarterback Terrelle Pryor's departure.
According to Ohio State's proposal, the university will impose two-year probation for the university and improve the university's compliance department.
The NCAA could impose harsher penalties if problems are discovered during that period.
The proposal also said that Tressel has accepted responsibility for not alerting the NCAA sooner about the tattoo parlor information, and the university opted to waive a $250,000 fine that it had imposed on him.
In addition, Ohio State said it was changing Tressel's resignation to a retirement, meaning the school will pay him more than $50,000 in salary and benefits.
Ohio State is scheduled to go before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions on Aug. 12.
The NCAA is expected to take several weeks to consider Ohio State's response before determining additional penalties against the university, Aker reported.
Tressel has agreed to appear during the hearing.
Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for continuing coverage.
