According to Columbus Dispatch editor Ben Marrison and confirmed by other sources, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel requested and got his suspension extended to five games by the NCAA today.
In addition, the appeal for the Suspended Five to have their suspensions reduced has been denied as well.
While Tressel still has to have a formal meeting with the NCAA Committee on Infractions, this is another step in the right direction for the embattled coach of the Buckeyes.
And while it’s very likely that the Infractions Committee can add more games on top of the five Tressel is getting, what he did makes a lot more sense than what the school originally recommended.
The extension means that Tressel’s punishment matches those of Terrelle Pryor, Boom Herron and the other three players suspended for trading memorabilia for tattoos.
Tressel has been trying to do a great deal of damage control in Buckeye Nation, going around and talking to fans about how he felt about the situation.
But this extension to the suspension is one of the better moves he could have made, and not just for PR purposes.
It was unfair that his punishment was shorter for covering up the crimes than those of the players who committed the crimes.
Now, this puts them on equal footing, aside from the $250,000 that Tressel must still pay.
He made sure that he followed through on the same advice he gave his players: face your problems head on and pay for your mistakes.
Now he will do that along with his players, as they will all miss the first five games of the 2011 season: Akron, Toledo, at Miami, Colorado and Michigan State.
They might not be very highly ranked before the season which could hurt if they still have dreams of a national championship, but those might not just have to be just that, dreams.
There is still hope because none of those five games are overly tough matchups in hindsight, with two MAC teams and two teams with new head coaches in their first four.
The Spartans will be their toughest test, but going 5-0 might say a lot for the resolve and heart of this team.
But for Tressel to fall on the sword and accept the addition to his suspension may have been the best thing that he could do at this point in time.
While we still wait for the Committee on Infractions to speak with Tressel, this could speak more than his last few speeches did.
Maybe now he understands he made as big a mistake if not worse than his players, and must make sure that he doesn’t get any less of a punishment.
In that light, he couldn’t have made a better decision.
Plus, this will also give one of the assistant coaches, most likely defensive coordinator Luke Fickell who could be the heir to the coaching throne at Ohio State, a chance to get his feet wet and get him ready for what will certainly await him.
As one of the best assistant coaches in America, Fickell should have the honor of filling in as head coach in Tressel’s absence much like freshman QB Braxton Miller might do until Pryor returns.
That matters more because this season could be more about the future if they are unable to shake themselves from the distractions of the present.
For more college football information, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com