Part II: Top 25 scandals in college football history

[Skip to content](#main) [College Football](https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-football/) # Part II: Top 25 scandals in college football history By [Nicholas Allen](https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/author/nallen/) Published: College football has not cornered the market on scandals in sports. But at minimum it’s one of the pillars of the house. We’ve taken the time to identify the 25 biggest scandals in college football history. Our list is weighted toward the more recent, in part due to more saturated media coverage. Previously, we revealed Nos. 25 to 16, including “The Nightmare of Steroids” at South Carolina in the 1980s and several memorabilia-for-money investigations involving recent SEC stars. **RELATED: [Top 25 scandals in college football history, Part I](http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/top-25-scandals-college-football-history-part-i/)** Today we’re revealing seven more scandals, including two centered in the state of Alabama. ### **15. Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Tattoo Scandal** Tattoos landed national championship-winning Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel in hot water with the NCAA. In 2010, Tressel learned of an agreement in place with a local shop owner to exchange team jerseys, championship rings and other items for tattoos. Tressel made the mistake of not alerting the athletic director or compliance staff. As a result, the school fined him $250,000 and later asked him to resign. He also received a five-year show cause penalty from the NCAA. Five Ohio State players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, served suspensions for their roles in the scandal. Later evidence concluded that as many as 28 players had been involved in similar misdeeds dating back to ’02. The NCAA placed the Buckeyes on probation, including a postseason ban for the ’12 season. The Buckeyes hired former Florida coach Urban Meyer as his replacement. ### **14. Convicted of murder** Accidental death has been an unfortunate part