Lawyer who tipped Tressel about memorabilia is under investigation

6/13/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court is investigating possible misconduct by the attorney who first tipped Ohio State’s football coach to NCAA violations by his players.

Coach Jim Tressel’s decision not to alert university officials to the tip from lawyer Christopher Cicero ultimately led to Tressel’s resignation under pressure for failing to report the violations immediately.

State Disciplinary Counsel Jonathan Coughlan alleged in a filing Friday that Cicero violated professional conduct rules by revealing information from interviews with a potential client.

The filing cites three emails Cicero sent Tressel on April 2 and April 16. They contain details about Ohio State memorabilia discovered at a local tattoo parlor by federal investigators.

A message left with Cicero on Monday was not immediately returned.