When Terrelle Pryor announced he would not be returning to Ohio State for his senior season, there was a collective sigh of relief among Buckeyes’ fans.
Even the most diehard Ohio State fan would have to agree that Pryor had become a detriment to the Buckeyes’ football program, and to a larger extent college football as a whole.
But Pryor’s unceremonious departure shouldn’t have come as a surprise, not because of the mounting evidence that suggested he had committed numerous NCAA violations while he was a member of the Ohio State football team, but rather how he came to be a Buckeye.
Pryor was the nation’s top rated prospect in 2008 when Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State were all in contention to sign him. As national signing day came and went that year, Pryor withheld his decision on which school he would attend.
For nearly six weeks, Pryor put on a Prima Dona act that would make Brett Favre proud. Finally, on March 18, 2008, the nation’s most highly coveted prospect announced he would sign with Ohio State.
At his news conference the following day, Pryor spoke about the recruiting process and what led him to sign with the Buckeyes. He mentioned feeling bad that he didn’t sign with Michigan because of the relationship he had established with coach Rich Rodriguez.
Then Pryor said something that seemed benign at the time, but has since proven to be a window into his future at Ohio State and beyond.
“I’m an 18-year-old kid and I feel like a man,” Pryor said. “I’ve got to make choices myself. (People) prayed for me and said to ask God and He’ll give you an answer. You can’t always take what everyone else wants. You have to do what you want. That’s what I did.”
And as we’ve come to learn, Pryor did what he wanted to do during his three years at Ohio State.
He, along with at least four other member of the Buckeyes’ football team, sold memorabilia to a local tattoo parlor owner in exchange for cash and tats.
Then we learned about Pryor’s alleged usage of eight vehicles during his three years at Ohio State.
Finally, the allegation that led him to forgo his senior season at Ohio State came on Tuesday when ESPN reported in an Outside the Lines piece that a former friend of Pryor’s claimed he saw the quarterback signing autographs for money a minimum of 35 to 40 times, earning between $20,000-$40,000 in 2010.
And those indiscretions don’t include the countless times Pryor supposedly missed or was late to team meetings and reports that he wasn’t well-liked by many of his teammates.
Now that he’s gone from Ohio State, Pryor is in for more harsh realities. Contrary to what he may think, NFL executives and coaches aren’t going to view him favorably.
Considering the NFL’s current labor issues, Pryor might not get a chance to play at all this year. Even if the NFL and NFLPA come to terms on a new agreement, there’s no guarantee he’ll be selected in the league’s supplemental draft.
If someone does take a chance on him, he’ll lose millions of dollars compared to what he could have made had he kept his nose clean at Ohio State.
It’s a prime example of a selfish, arrogant, young man who clearly lacked the wherewithal to recognize how his indiscretions could effect the future.
For a small amount of cash and a few tattoos, it’s a huge price to pay. But then again, Pryor did what he wanted to do. Not much to hang your hat on, is it?
