Terrelle Pryor's Lawyer Sure Likes Hearing Himself Talk

You know, if I hear one more report that starts with "Terrelle Pryor's lawyer says..." I just might be inclined to kick someone in the shins. Seriously, this Larry James guy needs to stop talking and unless Terrelle Pryor is planning on suing some damn body—and not just intimating at doing so—I am completely confused as to why he needs this lawyer representing him any further.

Pryor isn't going to the NFL, the CFL, or the AFL (is there still an AFL)? He's not returning to Ohio State, nor is he planning to transfer to a Division II school to finish out his eligibility. Soooooo, someone with more sense than myself—and I freely admit that said sense can be questionable at times—why on earth this kid, who is poor and struggling, needs a lawyer speaking on his behalf about the idiocy of his choices.

Is he going to sue Ohio State? The NCAA? The tattoo guy who sold his signature for extra cheese (that's money for those who don't know)? Jim Tressell? Seriously, why does Larry James need to be given any type of platform whatsoever for a kid who, to be quite honest, is about as relevant to the sport of football right now as Maurice Clarett is to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Of course some might say that Pryor has every right to retain a lawyer to act on his behalf if he so chooses. After all, he isn't harming anyone by letting this guy take the spotlight and voice his concerns in an intelligent manner—is he?

True enough, but when said representative lawyer starts painting the NCAA as slave master, then you might need to tell him to sit his ass down—just saying.

Good grief, what is it with these athletes and their handlers comparing their plights to slavery? Do any of them actually know anything about slavery? They can't possibly know much because for them to compare their particular issue to that of those who were whipped, hung, beaten, raped, and demoralized for the better part of their existence is asinine and repulsive.

I realize this came from Larry James' mouth and not Terrelle Pryor's, but you can see the danger in that being the case when you aren't speaking for yourself, can't you?

I truly hope Pryor has chosen his representation wisely because it seems to me that his lawyer is a bit of a ham and that's never a good thing—all talk, no action, and plenty of press will get you 15 minutes and a set of steak knives—quit while you're ahead Mr. James. The clock is definitely ticking.  

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• Terrelle Pryor's Lawyer Denies Pryor Was Paid By Dennis Talbott (sbnation.com)
• Terrelle Pryor won't play in CFL (fanaticsportsandcards.com)

If Maurice Clarett Is The Voice of Reason, Then Hell Just Froze Over

Maurice Clarett, former Ohio State bad boy and NFL wanna-be, has shared his two cents on the Terrelle Pryor situation and he made it very clear that it's not all Ohio State's fault that it cannot keep an eye on it's athletes. Said Clarett, "Anything that any player goes and gets is all based on him and who he meets in the community. The coaches and the university have no control over what the young guy's doing [emphasis added]".

Okay, while it's easy to buy his point based on what has happened at Ohio State in the past year under former head coach Jim Tressel, I am not willing to concede that all coaches are knowingly recruiting and cultivating selfish, entitled, and misinformed athletes that have no understanding of the risks they are taking when they meet up with "community" folks who may want to give them free stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that most athletes are not from the best backgrounds and, as Colt McCoy's wife so aptly pointed out in a radio interview this past week, it can be difficult to turn down money, gifts, and other necessary items when you're struggling to find enough money to eat a decent meal on the weekend, but this is essentially what these athletes sign up for when they make the decision to play football for that particular university—right or wrong—most of them know the situation they will be facing for the next 3-5 years.

No one forces these guys to play college football and, as much as it would be easy to feel sorry for the position they are placed in—making millions for a football program which grants them nothing but notoriety in return—at the end of the day, they still are more fortunate than most.

Here's the cut and dry of it: the college football athlete is idolized. If he's a superstar, there is no question his experience as a college student-athlete is better than that of his counterparts. Even more, if said athlete plays well, lives up to expectations, and becomes the guy everyone expects him to be, he reaps the benefits of his hard work when he's drafted into the pros—where he can potentially make millions of dollars and garner endless amounts of fame. 

That said, it's difficult for the average Joe who watches these guys develop and become the heroes they worship on Saturday to look at their situation and say they feel sorry for them.

On the other hand, logic dictates that you understand the quandary that these same same athletes face when they see their jersey number in the stands or their likeness on a video game and come to the realization that the NCAA and university they have sworn to obey and respect the rules of are the same ones that profit off their name and likeness—in perpetuity.

That's a hard pill to swallow as well, I'm sure. 

But, back to Clarett's statement about Ohio State not having any control, we cannot as college football fans accept that our athletes have the right to run amok and afoul of the law. Their actions hurt not only the programs we cheer for and love, but the reputations of all the athletes who continue to do the right thing each season—regardless of the hardship it may cause.

All of these guys aren't breaking laws and taking advantage of the benefits of being a college football player and it is because of them that it's hard to justify the actions of those who do as anything other than selfish.

Terrelle Pryor and others like him have to be the exception and not the rule in college football, otherwise the system is far more broken than any of us truly know. And, if it is broken, then it's high time the NCAA do a better job of fixing it or else they are as much an enabler to these acts of entitlement as those who do the enticing in the first place.

Related articles

• Forget Terrelle Pryor Leaving, Ohio State Has Bigger Problems (theladysportswriter.blogspot.com)
• Clarett: Athletes, not Ohio State, to blame (sports.espn.go.com)

Ohio State: You've Got It All Wrong, Mr. Herbstreit...

Photo Credit: Jay LaPrete/Ap

When ESPN college football analyst, Kirk Herbstreit, was asked what advice he would offer to Ohio State regarding Jim Tressel—who is currently still the head coach of The Ohio State University football team—he said "stop recruiting guys like Maurice Clarett and Terrelle Pryor into your program".

Really, Kirk? I hope you didn't have Terrelle Pryor on speed dial or anything because while Maurice Clarett clearly had issues—and still does—I'm not sure how you can place Terrelle Pryor in the same boat with him.

However, never mind that, let's talk about the actual piece of trash that you've chosen to place on the pedestal here—Jim Tressel. How about you advise The Ohio State University to get rid of him because he's as much the problem as the guys he's recruited.

At this point, no one should be selling Tressel as some sort of a martyr. He knew what was happening in his program, allowed it to continue happening, and then lied about it AFTER the cat was let out of the bag. It was only after there were no more rocks to crawl under, or football games to hide behind, that he decided to come forward with his version of the truth—this guy isn't blameless, he's a cheater, so let's just tell it like it is.

Tressel is not a victim of deception or poor recruiting judgment, but rather an example of what happened when a grown man makes a bad decision. He did all of this to himself—don't shed any tears for him—he was complicit in the acts of Pryor and the rest simply by keeping his mouth shut. His inaction tells us all we need to know about his priorities so spare us the 'poor coach gets took by his players' story because we're not buying. 

Has Tressel been a winner at Ohio State? Sure, there can be no doubt about that, he's done a fine job keeping the Buckeyes in the spotlight. However, moving forward, if Ohio State continues to break out the knee pads for this sweater vest wearing liar, then the integrity of their university—what little it still has left after Tressel's monumental embarrassment—will definitely leave a scar as long as Lake Michigan on the football program and any attempt it makes at a championship with Tressel leading the way.

He should have been fired when this whole business came to light and, if not then, certainly now. 

"Stop recruiting guys like Terrelle Pryor and Maurice Clarett"?...Wow, if that's code for stop bringing in liars and cheats then Pot meet Tressel.

Related articles

• Jim Tressel Investigation: Coach Contacted Terrelle Pryor Handlers, Shut Out Compliance Department (sbnation.com)
• Ohio State Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel targeted in NCAA's notice of allegations (sports.espn.go.com)
• Ex-Buckeyes not biting tongues on Tressel situation (collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
• Tressel Lies Are an Embarrassment to Ohio State (nytimes.com)
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