The Ohio State football memorabilia story may have just taken a very sharp turn on Monday night.
According to a Yahoo Sports investigation, Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel knew about his players' memorabilia-selling scheme as early as April 2010, six months before the school investigated the situation.
Several Ohio State players, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor, were in hot water with the NCAA after it was revealed that the players were selling game-used memorabilia to the owner of a local tattoo shop in Columbus. An investigation was not conducted by the school nor the NCAA until December when the local United States Attorney's office notified the school.
The Yahoo report, however, cites a source that says "a concerned party" reached out to Tressel to notify him that memorabilia was being sold. Tressel was reportedly upset over hearing the news, and pledged to investigate it further. Whether or not that actually happened, though, is unknown at this point.
The NCAA suspended the Ohio State players involved for the first five games of the upcoming 2011 season. Those players, though, were allowed to play in the Buckeyes' 31-26 Sugar Bowl win over Arkansas.
