The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger said Monday that despite a growing list of legal problems involving football players, he does not hold coach Jim Tressel responsible.

The arrest early Saturday of tight end Louis Irizarry and tailback Ira Guilford adds to a growing list of players who have gotten into legal or disciplinary trouble in Tressel's 39 1/2 months on the job.

An Associated Press search of court records reveals at least 13 incidents involving 14 football players since Tressel was hired in January of 2001.

"The climate in the program, the effort to address these kinds of issues is extraordinary," Geiger said. "These kinds of things . . . were addressed at a (team) meeting as recently as last Thursday. We would have wished there was a little more carryover."

Tressel declined an interview request on the subject of his players' behavior.

After 13 years as Ohio State's head coach, John Cooper was fired after the 2001 Outback Bowl. Geiger said at the time that there was a "deteriorating climate within the football program," which took into account academics, legal problems, discipline and competitiveness. Tressel was hired to replace Cooper and is widely seen as a tougher disciplinarian who has cut down on the Buckeyes' off-the-field missteps. Yet the search of court records shows there have been more problems over Tressel's first three seasons than Cooper's final three years.

Tressel recruited six of the 14 players who have gotten into trouble with the law while he has been head coach; the rest were brought in by Cooper.

Geiger was asked if there has been a change in the number of players getting in trouble under Tressel as opposed to Cooper.

"I don't know that it's better or worse," he said.

During the 2002 season, Tressel guided the Buckeyes to their first national championship in 34 years. The problems involving players in the past three years include underage drinking, drunken driving, disorderly conduct, assault, falsification of a police report to theft, robbery, felony drug abuse and carrying a concealed weapon. Some of the players are no longer with the program (quarterback Steve Bellisari, tailback Maurice Clarett), while others are still on the roster and projected to be stars (running back Branden Joe, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, quarterback Troy Smith).

Irizarry and Guilford, sophomores who were expected to see plenty of playing time this fall, were arrested at 3 a.m. Saturday after an Ohio State student said two men jumped him and stole his wallet. They each pleaded innocent to charges of second-degree robbery on Monday. Guilford was released after posting $25,000 bail, while Irizarry was held in jail until a judge can determine if he had violated his probation from an earlier conviction for assault, negligent assault and disorderly conduct.

In a statement after the arrests, Tressel said, "It appears likely they could lose their privilege to play for Ohio State in 2004."

Geiger said OSU players do not get into trouble more often than players at other programs of similar stature and size.