I'm Going to Forgive

I moved from Canada to Hilliard, Ohio in the fall of 1999. At the time, I was not a football fan, but soon became one. No one talked to me on Mondays, unless I watched the games on Saturday.

College football became my passion. I was hooked!

I moved to New Jersey in 2002 and learned the OSU alumni met at a club in Manhattan to watch the games. I put on my scarlet and gray, jumped on the subway and proudly joined other OSU addicts. For a few hours every Saturday afternoon, a block in middle Manhattan was a sea of red-clad, screaming Ohio State football fans.

We were proud to show our colors and support for the team we loved.

I even got my wife involved. She too became an OSU fan, rooting for the Buckeyes (In fairness, she may root for the Buckeyes, because if they lose, she knows I'll be in a foul mood all week)

In 2008, we moved to Idaho. Before we moved, I searched and found the OSU alumni group i n Boise. We had a group to share our passion with the day we moved.

We gather at a club owned and managed by a former Ohio State student. Although not as boisterous as the Manhattan crowd, they are a great group of people.

We're proud of our team.

Early in the winter of 2011, rumors began to circulate about Ohio State football players. The allegations centered on several young men who traded their football memorabilia for tattoos and/or money, an NCAA violation.

The allegations were true and the players were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. Coach Jim Tressel stated he knew nothing about the violations.

Further investigation proved Tressel did know about the infractions and did not notify the college or the NCAA as he was required to do. Tressel was later relieved of his duties as head coach.

In my eyes, Jim Tressel was a man who stood for values and was a pillar of integrity. He was a man to look up to. He le t me down. It was like learning Santa Clause is a burglar. Some of the players also let me down. I was devastated.

Do I stop supporting the team who made me a football fan? No! When you love someone or something strong enough, you forgive. Like a child who did wrong, you forgive, hope they learned a lesson and continue to love them.

I'm going to forgive.

Michael T. Smith