Former Ohio State football coach John Cooper during a radio interview in Cleveland on Tuesday. called the Alabama Crimson Tide "one of the most penalized teams in college football" and suggested the NCAA should investigate the program.

Speaking with

, Cooper, who was head coach for the Buckeyes from 1988 until 2000, was asked about recently fired coach Jim Tressel and his NCAA violations. Cooper explained that Ohio State's violations seemed minor in comparison to those committed recently by Southeastern Conference schools.

"I see some of these teams, the Auburns. I'm told, I don't know and I haven't coached in that league, but I'm told that down south the Alabamas and LSUs and some of these teams that have these great players, that maybe the NCAA needs to look into their situation," Cooper said. "Those teams have been on probation. As you know, Alabama's certainly one of the most penalized teams in college football, as is the Southeastern Conference. We say the SEC's the best and they are the best, but they've also had more NCAA violations than probably all the other leagues put together the last 10 years."

Earlier in the interview, Cooper said that he was impressed with the defenses on display in Monday night's BCS National Championship Game but less impressed with the quality of quarterback play in the SEC.

"They don't have many skilled quarterbacks. I thought Alabama's quarterback last night was OK. I thought LSU's was awful and I don't know if there's another good quarterback, maybe the young kid at Georgia. But I don't know if there's another good quarterback in the whole league."

Cooper, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, amassed a 2-14 record against current SEC teams during his coaching career.