how and when main violations had been found

Ohio State and Large 10 commissioner Jim Delany's variations of how and when main violations had been found earlier this yr differ significantly, CBSSports.com has found.

That could quite possibly lead to much more NCAA scrutiny in an already deepening scandal in the college. Experts say the discrepancy could trigger the NCAA Committee on Infractions to find out that investigators were misled within the situation that concerned emails sent to former coach Jim Tressel.

In feedback to the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday, Delany said he discovered that the now-former coach withheld emails through the college and the NCAA in mid-January. The commissioner -- "surprised and disappointed" -- added that he learned of the info at the same time as the college and also the NCAA due to an open data request.

When reached for comment, Delany confirmed what he told the Dispatch to CBSSports.com on Wednesday via a big Ten spokesperson. When asked again to clarify on Thursday and give a detailed timeline of occasions, Delany said that his feedback towards the paper were an "un-refreshed recollection."

The university's self-report towards the NCAA says the college discovered the emails "while reviewing information on an unrelated legal problem." Subsequent reviews by the Dispatch following the school's release of their self-report say the emails had been found whilst officials were preparing the appeal of players' penalties in a related student-athlete reinstatement situation.

CBSSports.com obtained all Flexibility of Info Act inquiries directed towards the university. In paperwork released by a school spokesman, the earliest request in 2011 arrived from Bloomberg News requesting a copy of the school's NCAA Income and Expenditures Report on Jan. 24, a full eleven days after the school noted they grew to become conscious of the emails. Yahoo! Sports activities, which broke the news that Tressel had prior understanding of NCAA violations involving Buckeyes players, submitted its initial open records request to the college on Feb. 28.

In his remarks Sunday, Delany also stipulated that he and also the NCAA had been notified immediately once the emails were found.

"In the case of [Ohio State president] Gordon [Gee] and [athletic director] Gene [Smith], let's put it by doing this: Once they had info concerning the tattoo scenario, it went towards the NCAA," Delany informed the paper. "When they'd information about Jim, it went towards the NCAA. And fairly a lot in actual time I knew about this."

But according to the school's self-report and subsequent comments by Smith, Ohio State discovered the emails on Jan. 13, interviewed Tressel three days later on after which knowledgeable Delany on Feb. 2 and the NCAA each day later on.

"When we arrived back again from the bowl video game, we discovered, via another procedure we had been gathering information on an additional matter, that there were some emails that Coach Tressel had received that had revealed that he had some prior knowledge concerning the issue with our student athletes," Smith stated at a March 8 press conference. "We informed commissioner Jim Delany and the extremely next day we notified the NCAA of our matter.

"We asked them on Feb. 3 to arrive and join us within the investigation that was started."