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Urban Meyer Admits He Still Holds A Grudge Against Sports Illustrated

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 3:25 PM ET

Urban Meyer remains upset over Jim Tressel's unceremonious exit from Ohio State.

Fourteen years ago, Sports Illustrated published an investigation into Tressel's Buckeyes football program. The cover story, written by George Dohrmann and David Epstein, revealed that as many as 28 players had traded memorabilia for tattoos or money dating back to 2002. The Department of Justice had already discovered that Terrelle Pryor and six other players had an agreement with a local tattoo artist under FBI investigation for drug trafficking.

Tressel, who was found to have lied about his knowledge of the NCAA rule violations, resigned following the report. The NCAA also banned the Buckeyes from the 2012 postseason, preventing Meyer's team from vying for a title.

On his Triple Option podcast, Meyer lamented a missed opportunity to play Notre Dame for the national title because of the NCAA's "very punitive" response.

"They were trading memorabilia for tattoos," Meyer said. "So, competitive advantage, zero. There's nothing there."

While Meyer acknowledged the rule violation, he claimed Tressel ended any wrongdoing once he learned of the situation.

"The inconsistency of that penalty, to this day, still bothers me," Meyer said.

Sports Illustrated obviously isn't to blame for reporting news, but getting asked about the infamous Tressel cover dredged up bad memories for Meyer. Although one would assume his actual gripe is more with the NCAA's harsh rules in the pre-NIL era, perhaps the 60-year-old is also still bitter about SI uncovering the truth and precipitating Tressel's downfall.

"I still hold a grudge about that whole thing," Meyer said. "I know Jim Tressel. I followed him, so I know exactly what his program was all about, and that was wrong. That was a mistake on a lot of fronts. The support Tressel received in Columbus, I don't think was fair, and certainly the national [media], it's actually a joke, to be honest with you."

After Tressel's resignation, Meyer replaced interim head coach Luke Fickell in 2012. He didn't get a chance to win a title that year, but he led the Buckeyes to another championship in 2014.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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