Tressel's resignation is a tremendous loss for the football program. The reasons are numerous, but I think the biggest is that his players were treated like family. OSU and Youngstown State football players are sons to Tressel.

If you do not believe me, go ask a current or former player. He expects his sons to be responsible, accountable and loving brothers. A lot of talk surrounds sports programs and business corporations attempting to treat players and employees like family, but no one has accomplished this better than Tressel.

Here is a little proof. In 2001, Tressel lost his mother. He stood in front of the entire OSU football team in tears, explaining to us that you only get one mother and asking for our support to help him get through this difficult time. In a conference room at the Fawcett Center filled with 120 oversized 18-to-22-year-old, horrible-smelling men, you could hear a pin drop.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. From that day forward, Tressel was unquestionably more than just another coach. He was truly our father away from home. We were a tremendous part of his life, and he was a tremendous part of our lives.

This type of cohesion and atmosphere of family that Tressel has created is the No. 1 reason for his success. His players are fiercely loyal to him because he is fiercely loyal to them. True trust is born from these types of relationships, and it is not a coincidence that success on the football field blossomed quickly at OSU with Tressel at the helm.

I am not sure what exactly happened that led to the Memorial Day resignation. My guess is that Tressel's biggest mistake was caring too much. He was too loyal and too protective of his sons.

Parents across the country blindly fight rational thought to protect their children, even in the face of severe consequences. Tressel's alleged transgressions (if you can call them that) stemmed from this same type of primal instinct. Tressel's resignation might be the right choice for OSU as an institution, but the players lose. They lose a true role model and their father away from home.

Those types of people do not grow on trees for young men at a transitional and influential point in their lives. Tressel's resignation is a huge loss for the 120 players on the current Ohio State football team. It is a sad day in Columbus.

ANDREW P. SCHABO

Bexley