National Football League

Reports: Colts considering Tressel

Published Jan. 21, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was emerging Saturday as a possible outside contender in the race for the vacant Indianapolis Colts head coaching position, according to multiple reports.

Tressel, who was hired to the team's staff last season, held a second interview with Colts owner Jim Irsay for the top job Friday following Jim Caldwell's firing earlier in the week, WBNS reported.

The Indianapolis Star confirmed that Irsay flew Friday morning to Sarasota, Fla., where Tressel owns a home, before later returning to Indianapolis, although the newspaper stopped short of saying that an interview took place.

Irsay posted Saturday on his Twitter account that the team expects to decide on a new head coach next week.

Irsay's tweet read: ''The (hash)1 pick debate will rage on,what a great year to have it..the HC search is wide ranging n thorough,decision by mid 2 late next week.''

Reports a day earlier had dismissed Tressel, who has never coached in the NFL, as a candidate in an open field to replace Caldwell, although he was tipped to be kept on by the Colts in some capacity.

Tressel's successful 10-year stint at Ohio State ended with him resigning in disgrace in May after hiding allegations that some of his players were trading memorabilia for cash and tattoos at a tattoo parlor, in violation of NCAA rules.

The NCAA announced last month that the university's football program will be banned from postseason competition next season as punishment for a string of violations that occurred under Tressel.

Tressel, 59, was hit with a five-year show-cause penalty, essentially preventing him from being hired by another college.

After adding him to the staff as a game-day consultant in September, the Colts "suspended" Tressel for the first seven games of the season before he assumed an active role at the end of October.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.