The mystery lawyer that tried to help Jim Tressel out by informing him of improprieties by players on the Buckeyes football team has been identified and he is reportedly a former Buckeyes player himself.

Christopher T. Cicero, a Columbus-based lawyer, is reportedly the man who had the e-mail correspondence with Tressel last April. Tressel said he was going to look into the matter ASAP but kept quiet until December when news of the players’ actions broke.

Cicero lettered in football at Ohio State in 1983 after walking on to the Buckeyes as a linebacker. It was the same year Tressel joined Ohio State as an assistant under Earle Bruce.

On Tuesday, Tressel was suspended for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined $250,000 for violating NCAA rules by failing to notify the school about the players’ involvement. He also will receive a public reprimand and must make a public apology.