Jim Tressel joins list of coaches who lied

A recent report has indicated that Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel was aware of improper benefits to a group of players, including star quarterback Tyrelle Pryor, as far back as April. The report said Tressel was aware that Pryor and the other players had sold memorabilia at that time. Shortly before the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State announced that the players in question would be suspended for five games in 2011. However, if Tressel knew about these allegations that far ahead of the 2010 season, it could be major trouble for a coach that has gone 106-22 during his tenure at Ohio State. Tressel isn't the first coach who knew about something and didn't say anything. Here is a look at five other recent coaches who gained notoriety for lying.

Bruce Pearl

Pearl missed the first eight SEC games for the Tennessee Volunteers. Pearl admitted that he lied to the NCAA during their investigation in to the Tennessee basketball program. The issues stemmed from excessive phone calls made to recruits. In addition to the suspension, Pearl was also docked pay and right by Tennessee.

Dave Bliss

In perhaps the worst case of lying in the history of coaching, Dave Bliss was implicated in lies tied to the murder of Patrick Dennehy. While Bliss wasn't involved in the murder, he did make several lies to the NCAA involving Dennehy. This includes covering up tuition payments and asking players to spread the word that Dennehy was a drug dealer. Bliss resigned and was given a 10 year sanction by the NCAA.

George O'Leary

O'Leary famously fudged his resume in order to land a job at Notre Dame. Then coaching at Georgia Tech, O'Leary was hired to take over the prestigious Fighting Irish coaching job. It didn't last though, as O'Leary was fired after it was revealed he lied about his experience on his resume.

Jim Harrick

Harrick is more famous for a scandal involving his son at Georgia, so people often forget about his lying while at UCLA. Harrick guided the Bruins to the 1995 NCAA title, but in the following years he was involved in a scandal involving receipts at steak dinner. The NCAA let him off the hook, but UCLA fired him for lying to them.

Kelvin Sampson

Sampson was implicated in major recruiting scandals at both Oklahoma and Indiana. Like pearl, the scandals involved phone calls. Also like Pearl, he lied. The NCAA findings revealed that Sampson withheld information from both the NCAA and Indiana. That led to the end of his coaching tenure with the Hoosiers.

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