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The Ohio State reaction to President Gordon Gee's retirement

After a whirlwind afternoon which saw the announced retirement of OSU president E. Gordon Gee, the Ohio State community responded.

By Luke Zimmermann
USA TODAY Sports

Earlier today we learned that in the wake of controversy surrounding comments made over six months ago, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee would be retiring, effective July 1st, 2013.

While Gee had become somewhat the low hanging fruit du jour for the lazy humor grenade lobbing national sports columnists around the country, most affiliated with Ohio State – even if only for athletic allegiances – stood by Gee for what they perceived as the net good he brought the university. Whether it was in terms of his masterful command of fundraising, or the way he warmly engaged with individuals in and around the Ohio State community, for often better but sometimes worse, he was *their* president, and they expected Gee to weather the events of the last week.

When push came to shove, whether he ultimately felt he was no longer effectively able to execute his duties as president, whether the powers that be in Ohio State inner circles felt his cavalier speech had become too much of a liability, or whether he'd simply decided it was time to move on, those who championed him (particularly in lieu of dissatisfactions with his successor, Karen Holbrook), will miss him.

Accordingly a number of figures in and around the Ohio State athletic community came out in support of President Gee after he announced his retirement. First, the Ohio State football coaching staff (including alum, Mike Vrabel):

Then, Ohio State football players themselves:

And then Ohio State's basketball players:

And then even prospective student athletes:

And finally, the alumni:

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett had one idea for a potential successor:

Finally, we heard from the man himself:

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