Tag: Anthony Gonzalez

Former Ohio State receiver and current Ohio congressman Anthony Gonzalez critical of Big Ten

Former Ohio State receiver and current congressman Anthony Gonzalez was critical of the Big Ten’s decision to cancel football in the fall.

Former Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez knows what it’s like to compete in a big-time college football environment. As a starting wide-receiver with the Buckeyes, he has first-hand knowledge of the lessons college football players learn, and the support available to help them succeed.

Now that he’s in Congress, Gonzalez can marry the perspectives of being a high-profile college athlete with navigating his way as a public servant. And boy did he have some criticism for the Big Ten when it was made apparent that it was on the doorstep of canceling or postponing fall football.

In an interview with USA TODAY, the former Buckeye and Indianapolis Colt didn’t hold back.

“I learned more in that college football environment than I did in any classroom or in any other environment that I’ve ever been in,” Gonzalez told USA TODAY, “and I know that I’m not alone in that. So, to take that opportunity away from these kids, many of whom come from some of the most difficult backgrounds that this country has to offer, I think is catastrophic for them.”

Gonzalez went on to call any decision to not play “an enormous mistake for the kids.”

He acknowledged the risk of playing during a pandemic, but believes that with the right support, there are ways to make it work.

“The risk is obviously there,” Gonzalez continued. “But I think that if you’re in an environment where coaches want to coach, players want to play and parents of players want their kids to play that, at the very least, you need to create the option.”

Gonzalez also questioned how being around others within the confines of competition is less risky than mingling with others in a face-to-face school setting.

“The risk of playing to me and catching the virus doesn’t appear to be different from the risk of being on campus and catching the virus,” Gonzalez said. “The world we’re living in isn’t a world where you’re choosing between playing football with COVID risk and not playing football with no COVID risk.”

Still though, the Big Ten went ahead with postponing the season to spring, which has a very good likelihood of turning into a cancellation. There are many risks to weigh on both sides of the debate, and we may not know what the right answer was until a few years from now. Heck, we may never know.
But the points that Gonazalez brings up are the same ones that the camp believing in moving ahead with the competitive environments of fall football believe in as well.

Tommy Tuberville might be a Senator; how would Buckeye coaches fare running for office?

A light-hearted look at Ohio State football coaches of the past and how successful they could be as politicians.

Former Auburn (and Cincinnati) head football coach Tommy Tuberville could take the next step to becoming a United States Senator. He ran in the Alabama Republican primary and is currently in a run-off with former Senator Jeff Sessions. That election is today (Tuesday, July 14th), and polling puts Tuberville as the favorite to win both the runoff and the general election against current Senator Doug Jones. (It is worth noting that runoff polling has been pretty limited. Tuberville does have the endorsement of President Donald Trump, but interestingly enough Trump-backed candidates are 0-2 so far in Alabama Senate races.)

Sessions has not been above making this race about football, mocking Tuberville’s coaching career on multiple occasions.

So, this all got me thinking. What Ohio State coaches could run for office? Would it matter statewide or local? Let’s look at every Buckeye coach since Woody Hayes and what offices they could have run for. No, this is not a serious column analyzing their electoral prospects. Let’s just have some fun with this.

Woody Hayes (1951-1978)

Well, let’s get around the obvious to start: Hayes won’t be winning any political races now, seeing as he passed away three decades ago. That aside (and pretending he’d be younger than 107 today), could Hayes win any political office?

He was beloved during his career but riddled with controversy. The allegations of violence towards players and opponents would haunt him. His 1971 tirade against officials (including tearing up yard markers) would make for excellent opposition campaign video. Hayes was a beloved coach and teacher by so many who knew him, but it’s doubtful that a coalition of just former Ohio State students could carry a coach through to local or statewide office.

Result: Given the recent history between Ohio State and Clemson, perhaps getting fired for punching a Clemson player would make Buckeye fans more sympathetic. But it’s hard to see Coach Hayes winning any election.

Earle Bruce (1979-1987)

Like Hayes, Bruce is no longer alive. He unfortunately passed away two years ago from Alzheimer’s. Both the diagnosis and the death obviously preclude Bruce from running for office, so let’s talk about what he could have done in 2016 and before.

Bruce was a coach his entire life. He managed football teams well, and he was widely-respected and liked. He was a bit more low-profile than the other coaches on this list, which makes sense considering how Hayes’ career ended. Bruce won the Big Ten four times, but never claimed a National Championship and never won the Rose Bowl. In fact, losing the Rose Bowl (with an NC on the line) during the first year of his career probably would have hurt his potential political ambitions. Had the Buckeyes won that game, he could have won anything.

Result: Probably could have won local offices somewhere after retiring. Doesn’t seem competitive statewide.

John Cooper (1988-2000)

Cooper never won the Big Ten outright, never went undefeated, and never challenged for a National Championship. He also couldn’t beat Michigan. He was straightforward and likable, but only so far.

Result: Cooper always performed solidly, but could never finish the job when it counted. He could take primaries, but would never win a general election.

Jim Tressel (2001-2010)

Tressel is a straight-laced, honest, and decent guy, a National Championship-winning coach, and a successful administrator at multiple universities. Yes, his tenure at Ohio State ended under some controversy–-but it’s not the type of controversy that would hurt politically. He was loyal to and protected his players. On top of that, Buckeye fans felt he was given a pretty unfair deal (though getting Urban Meyer out of it made them forget that a little.) If anything, his controversies would help him.

I have no idea what Tressel’s personal politics are. I don’t know what party he would run under, nor do I know if he has any desire to hold political office. I do know one thing, though. If you were to draw up a stereotypical Ohio Senator, it would look like Jim Tressel. (I mean, can anyone really prove that Jim Tressel and Mike DeWine aren’t the same person?)

Result: Run for statewide office (though not Attorney General), Coach. Maybe you’ll join Tommy Tuberville in the Senate.

Luke Fickell (2011)

I can say one thing about Fickell’s year at Ohio State: he was clearly in over his head. Fickell was forced into a terrible situation, but he did not get nearly the results he should have with the talent he was given. Even if it was just a one-year interim stint, Fickell was a disappointment as an Ohio State coach. Based on that, you wouldn’t expect to see him running for office.

However, what he’s done since being an Ohio State head coach has to be mentioned, too. He was a solid defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, but it’s his current job that could matter.

Fickell has been a very successful coach and revitalized the Cincinnati Bearcats program. He has built a strong defense and gone 2-0 in bowl games behind it, finishing the last two years ranked in the Top 25. Cincinnati, of course, is part of Ohio, and Fickell is building a strong reputation there. He’s also shown loyalty by not (yet) bolting for a Power 5 job. If he keeps that up, his following will only rise.

Result: Nothing statewide, but local offices in the Cincinnati region are worth looking at.

Urban Meyer (2012-2018)

What can I say about Urban Meyer? Beloved as a coach, retired under controversy, but still retains a strong following. His family’s social media posts would be fodder for opponents in any major statewide race, as would his admitted brain issues, but Meyer might just have enough popularity to blow through all that anyway. The whole state doesn’t love football so much to make it a shoo-in or anything close, but enough cares and likes Meyer to keep him competitive. We also know that a Meyer campaign would be nonstop and incredibly specific in targeting voters. The same obsessive competitive nature that burned Meyer out as a head coach would serve him well in running a political campaign.

Result: Statewide campaigns would be tough but incredible to follow. Meyer could easily win elections for United States Congress in about ten of Ohio’s 16 districts.

Ryan Day (2018-present)

It’s too early to tell anything about Day, really, but starting off your coaching career with a 16-0 run, and the only loss being a last-second heartbreaker, bodes well for all of his future endeavors. His recruiting prowess also tells us that he can convince voters, and the incredible recruiting results from his assistants shows that he can build a strong campaign.

Result: Too soon to tell, but there’s huge potential here.

Honorable Mention

He’s not a coach, but former Buckeye wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is already in Congress. Gonzalez won a competitive Republican primary in the 16th district, and he easily won the general election in November 2018. He’s running again in 2020 in a race that he’s expected to win. It is also noteworthy that, depending on the direction the party takes moving forward, many pundits expect Gonzalez to potentially be a major national player in the Republican Party. I’m not here to comment on the politics of it; I’m just pointing out that there’s already a Buckeye in office, and he’s gaining prominence.

Former Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzales releases five pillars for name, image, and likeness compensation

Former Ohio State receiver and current Ohio congressman Anthony Gonzalez introduced five pillars for the name, image, and likeness issue.

Like it or not, the issue and developing story of the usage of a college athlete’s name, image, and likeness isn’t going away. We’ve already seen California Pass the Fair Pay to Play Act, and other states have either introduced or threatened similar types of legislature. Heck, the NCAA has even weighed in, knowing that it’s likely inevitable that athlete’s eventually get compensated in some way as the big business of college athletics continues to evolve.

One of the people with Ohio State ties that can actually do something about introducing a bill to police this thing at the federal level is former Ohio State receiver and current Ohio U.S. representative Anthony Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has been very outspoken about introducing something at the federal level to try and bring some continuity, transparency, and consistency with how the issue of compensation for college play is handled. However, he’s been relatively silent since we first hear about his intentions.

But no more.

The former OSU receiver released five pillars of what he believes should be considered with any move towards further compensation for college athletes. You can get a look at all of them below in a Tweet shared by Dan Murphy of ESPN.

I have to say, getting something done federally seems like a very important step in this process so that states — and by extension — college programs within those states don’t treat this quickly evolving situation differently.

There’s not a whole lot more to report on this for now, but we’ll keep our ears to the ground here at Buckeyes Wire.