Pryor not returning to tOSU

[Nick Flair]

Just on ESPN

My link

Edited June 7, 2011 by Nick Flair

[RHEC]

Just on ESPN

Epic fail for Pryor

[jtcrews75]

Tranferring to AU the are allready talking with his agent, oops I mean mentor about pricetag.

[Tribal Chief]

That is the dumbest move he could have ever made. He must actually think he's good

[Ronaldo77]

Have fun playing Canada or sitting out over a year you POS... Who knew that Michigan actually won the recruiting battle when Pryor picked OU

[Billy Ocean]

Wherever he goes, he'll have to take a pay-cut.

[South FL Dawg]

If he thinks the criticism is harsh now (which is why I think he bailed), wait till he's a pro.

[Billy Ocean]

His best case scenario as a pro is a poor man's Vince Young. He's not good enough to QB in the NFL and he's too long a strider to quickly develop into a WR. I see his trajectory as Arena or whatever it is Shockley is now playing in.

[Ronaldo77]

His best case scenario as a pro is a poor man's Vince Young. He's not good enough to QB in the NFL and he's too long a strider to quickly develop into a WR. I see his trajectory as Arena or whatever it is Shockley is now playing in.

I believe that is the UFL

[SacFalcFan]

I'm shocked. So you are telling me he won't be suspended for 5 games now? great call ncaa on that sugar bowl game you let him play in..

[aPureTerror]

I pictured this happening when it was ruled that they wouldn't miss the bowl game earlier this year.

[Unknøwn]

When Tressel resigned i knew this was coming

[CalDawg]

I'm shocked. So you are telling me he won't be suspended for 5 games now? great call ncaa on that sugar bowl game you let him play in..

I remember browsing over to HineyGate during the UK vs Pitt bowl game this year, just to watch them revel in an SEC loss. All the commentary was about how crappy Kentucky was, but they conveniently ignored the fact that UK had suspended Hartline for the game. I started to say that can happen when a program takes the high road on rules and punishment, but I knew I'd get banned.

Ohio State jeopardized the future of their program because they couldn't bear to lose to another SEC team. They withheld information from the NCAA just to have those guys eligible for that game. With all we know now, that decision should weigh heavily in whatever final decision the NCAA makes.

[U.S. American]

I'm shocked. So you are telling me he won't be suspended for 5 games now? great call ncaa on that sugar bowl game you let him play in..

what a suprise! glad he waited for the supplemental draft. it's for the doomed

[stumpjumper]

what a suprise! glad he waited for the supplemental draft. it's for the doomed

so a very late round supplemental pick for pryor is gonna mean a massive pay cut for him.

[Carter]

But I thought Tressel made them promise to come back...

[Falconsken]

I remember browsing over to HineyGate during the UK vs Pitt bowl game this year, just to watch them revel in an SEC loss. All the commentary was about how crappy Kentucky was, but they conveniently ignored the fact that UK had suspended Hartline for the game. I started to say that can happen when a program takes the high road on rules and punishment, but I knew I'd get banned.

Ohio State jeopardized the future of their program because they couldn't bear to lose to another SEC team. They withheld information from the NCAA just to have those guys eligible for that game. With all we know now, that decision should weigh heavily in whatever final decision the NCAA makes.

I think this has nothing to do with "ohio state not being able to bear losing to an SEC team" so why make it about that.

Pryor leaving was for the best. For him and the university. The rest of us are going to suffer for everything... Dont know that we are ever gonna recover from this. Not in this decade atleast.

[DawgBone]

Nope, you're hosed, bro. And when it's all said and done, tOSU will still have never beaten an SEC team.

[Falconsken]

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

[aPureTerror]

But I thought Tressel made them promise to come back...

:P

[CalDawg]

I think this has nothing to do with "ohio state not being able to bear losing to an SEC team" so why make it about that.

Not sure what you mean by "this", but I think Ohio State did itself some damage in the lead up to the bowl game. Tressel turned his head and ignored a lot of stuff the last few years, but he should've come clean once the whole investigation got underway. Instead, he and the compliance officer (who else?) tried to downplay the whole thing by under-reporting the facts and saying it was all just an issue of tatoos and inadequate instruction of the players. In fact, that was the rationale given for allowing those players to compete in the bowl game.

We now know that the rules were flagrantly violated, probably involving multiple players, large sums of money, cars, etc., and Ohio State's failure to self-report everything that they knew or suspected during December points strongly toward loss of institutional control. What they should have done is immediately declare every player with a suspect history ineligible at that point (including every player affiliated with the car dealership and the "memorabilia dealer"), given all the info they had to the NCAA and taken their lumps.

But that would have pretty much guaranteed a loss to Arkansas. If you think that wasn't a consideration in Ohio State's decision making last December, especially considering the lumps the Big 10 has taken by watching their champion get thumped in two recent SEC bowl matchups, and considering the disdain that Big 10 bigwigs have shown in public statements toward the SEC, then we'll just have to disagree.

Here's the progression as I see it.

Having a player or players get extra benefits; happens everywhere and the NCAA knows it, so that is surviveable.

The coach knowing about all of that for a long time, and playing the players anyway; that's a bigger problem and pretty much guarantees probation.

But when the NCAA comes a callin', and the entire university apparatus is notified that there might be a multiple player problem, and a "memorabilia dealer" has already been banned from contact with the team earlier in the year, and multiple players have cars from the same dealership, which has autographed stuff hanging all over their walls, and they still minimize the situation to keep players eligible for a bowl game; now we're talkin' unlimited potential for sanctions. That's the point where the president of the university should have put his foot down and said let's do the safest possible. But he didn't and the athletic director didn't and the head coach didn't, all for the sake of a sugar bowl game against the evil SEC.

BTW, don't confuse my motivation here. I'm not making some argument about moral superiority of the SEC. Cheating happens everywhere and I personally believe that what Auburn has done the last few years exceeds OSU's rule breaking by a fair margin. But I still believe that Tressel and others at OSU let their desire to win that bowl game drive them to lie to the NCAA, when they should have just capitulated for the sake of the program's future.

Edited June 10, 2011 by CalDawg

[Carter]

Pryor leaving was for the best. For him and the university. The rest of us are going to suffer for everything... Dont know that we are ever gonna recover from this. Not in this decade atleast.

I feel bad for any real fan that has to go through something like this, regardless of whether or not I like the team itself or not. So on that level, I feel for you man... I can only imagine how crappy it must feel.

I don't think OSU is going to completely fall off the map though. The Vest resigning and Pryor leaving are going to help OSU's case imo. There will be consequences, but it's hard for me to imagine OSU falling off for too long. Of course, you guys are replacing most of your starters and dealing with several being suspended for almost half the season... and Pryor accounting for so much of your offense is going to hurt, but I think you guys will be fine for the near term future at QB with Braxton Miller to build around. 2011 is a lost cause for you guys, but that's to be expected and there will be more lumps to take. OSU won't be getting the death penalty though and unless there is a multi-year postseason ban I don't think recruiting will fall off too much either.

I'm curious to see how Fickell works out, cuz the long time assistant taking over the HC job doesn't usually pan out. But then he may be the go-between from Tressel to the next big hire.