39 replies to this topic

[ohioguy102474]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and four other Buckeyes were suspended by the NCAA for the first five games of next season for selling championship rings, jerseys and awards and receving improper benefits. All can still play in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas.

Along with Pryor, running back Daniel Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive lineman Mike Adams and defensive end Solomon Thomas must sit out and repay between $1,000 to $2,500 to charity.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith called the sanctions severe and said the school will appeal the suspensions.

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“While we believe sanctions should be rendered, we do believe they are severe,” he said Thursday at a news conference. “We do believe we can give mitigating circumstances for the NCAA to consider.”

The NCAA said it did not suspended the players for Jan. 4 Sugar Bowl against No. 8 Arkansas because the “student-athletes did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred.”

“These are significant penalties based on findings and information provided by the university,” Kevin Lennon of the NCAA said in its release.

Pryor is the team’s star, while Herron is the leading rusher and Posey is the second-leading receiver. Adams is a starter at left tackle and Thomas a top sub on the defensive line.

A sixth player, linebacker Jordan Whiting must sit out the first game of the 2011 season and pay $150 to a charity for the value of services that were discounted because he was a Buckeye player.

Smith said Ohio State was not “explicit” in instructing players about the sale of apparel, awards and gifts.

Adams must repay $1,000 for selling his 2008 Big Ten championship ring and Herron, the team’s top back, must repay $1,150 for selling his football jersey, pants and shoes for $1,000 and receiving discount services worth $150.

Posy sold his 2008 Big Ten ring for $1,200 and also received discount services, while Pryor must repay $2,500 for selling his Big Ten ring, Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and his 2008 gold pants, a trinket given to players who are a part of a team which beats rival Michigan.

Ohio State has been investigating allegations that several football players traded autographs for tattoos. Rumors first surfaced last Saturday. Athletic department officials, including Smith and Ohio State’s compliance director had refrained from addressing the allegations.

On Twitter on Wednesday night, Pryor posted, “I paid for my tattoos. GoBucks”

[dhsdawg06]

To hell with em. If that's all the pride they have in their accomplishments, then just let them go pro now. I don't want em.

They should be sitting out the Sugar Bowl as well. But I'm betting ESPN paid off the NCAA to make sure that didn't happen so they can still get their ratings.

[slice slice baby]

Why should anyone be surprised?

How can any of the rest of us have 'hope' when such a jaded outlook from you.....???

[WONBulldog]

They should be sitting out the Sugar Bowl as well. But I'm betting ESPN paid off the NCAA to make sure that didn't happen so they can still get their ratings.

That's what I am wondering - if what they did is worthy of a suspension, why are they not suspended for the Sugar Bowl? Why are they still playing there? I think Tressel should announce that he is suspending all the players involved from participating in the Sugar Bowl and be certain to add that "the integrity of the game is what is most important, and if these players have tarnished the integrity of the game to the point that they are now allowed to participate for the first five games next season, then they have also tarnished the game to the point where they cannot play in the Sugar Bowl, even if it means we may lose and viewers may not tune in because of the lack of name players from Ohio State." Further, he should then apologize to fans and state that he completely understands if they do not wish to attend the game and be sure to note there is still time to get refunds on hotel and flight packages, and tickets can likely be sold on eBay.

Something tells me the NCAA would change their tune if they thought it would hurt the bottom line of the Sugar Bowl. All the sudden, it would be a one game suspension at the beginning of the 2011 season instead of five.

But hey, at least no boosters paid thousands of dollars to any of the players dads to try and convince them to get their kid to play at a certain school, right NCAA?

FURTHER, I want Pryor to hold his OWN news conference when he jumps to the NFL (which I am sure he probably will now!). In that news conference, I want him to announce that he is doing what is best for his family during this tough economic time. Even if there is no season in the NFL next year, he'll have the opportunity to make some money to support his family that he wouldn't have by being a student athlete. Tell the NCAA to suck it. Just tear the NCAA a new one.

What they did violates the rules, so it is right that they are being punished. BUT, punishing them NEXT year and not this year because the Sugar Bowl would be impacted (which is really the only reason to defer the punishment) is absurd. If all the eligible players will be going pro after this season, I would love to see them all sign with agents before the Sugar Bowl in order to eliminate their eligibility. Joe Bauserman can start for Ohio State, get beat by 60, have all Ohio State fans who were merely traveling to the host city (not attending the game) cancel their travel plans, and watch the Sugar Bowl freak out that the NCAA set off the first domino to torpedo the bowl game.

Oh what fun that could be!!!

Edited by WONBulldog, 23 December 2010 - 11:52 PM.

[lepiota]

In the news conference, he should do his best LeBron and say; "I wan't to take my talents to the NFL."

If he says that, I might projectile vomit.

[PHDigger]

Here's my take on the whole situation (that I actually posted on another site also) since this whole NCAA deal has bothered me for a long time.

This is a total joke IMO, and this has nothing to do with me being an OSU fan, I would say the same thing if it happened to Michigan.

1. So where is the cutoff with this rule? This basically is saying that no college athlete can have ANY external source of income while in college. ANY. And people will say "hey, they can get a job at McDonalds the same way I did." Technically no. First of all I would say they had an unfair advantage getting that job over other applicants because of their exposure from being an athlete. Second, I would say they got hired because, by them being there working the cash register, chances are sales will increase. Who wouldn't like to go get a cheeseburger from Pryor? Like him or hate him. VIOLATION! Throw any athlete out who has an external source of income!

2. A lot has been said that they knew the rules before they broke them. How is this even remotely close to being true? What exactly is the rule? Any rule (or law) is subject to precedents set. Everyone just got done seeing the latest precedent. A player, or any member of his family, can shop around to schools and receive compensation for the player. Saying Cam new nothing of this is irrelevant, he knew the rules and that makes it his job to explain the rules to anyone involved (like parents). So the precedent was set, an SEC school can pay 6 figures of money (for a competitive advantage), to a player or his family (a financial advantage) for playing an amateur, NCAA sport. So immediately following this, players are suspended for 5 games for getting a tattoo (non-competitive advantage) for an autograph (potentially worth absolutely nothing). So really, who knows the rules here?

3. The monopoly and the utilization of indentured servants. So with all of the above being said, lets also look at the monopoly the NCAA has over Football. I say football only, because it’s the only sport this applies to. Any other sport allows a high school kid to directly become pro, except for football. So you MUST go through our amateur level, receive 0 compensation for it (or anything else for that matter) for 4 or 5 years, and after that you might get paid for it (maybe not). I also understand that a free education is worth something, but what? There’s nothing saying that education will net any income whatsoever. So in other words, when I applied for my job, they could have offered me the job but said I have to work for free for 4-5 years, then they will evaluate whether or not they will pay me. By the way, I also cannot use the knowledge I have for this job for compensation in any way, be it within the company or not. I also cannot collect money in any way for anything else either. Oh and after I say no to the offer, they also inform me that I cannot go to another company for the same job as the federal government (the NCAA in this case) mandates that this is my only option if I want to be in this line of work.


This is just my rant on the whole NCAA position and the endless pages of reading on the subject.

[Hannibal Lecter]

Simply put that 5 game suspension for next year is a total joke.

All 5 of these idiots should be sitting out the Sugar Bowl. In fact if Tressel had any balls he`d tell all 5 to stay home and try to find a friend or two to celebrate New Years Eve with. If that were the case they might have a tough time coming up with a couple of friends.

In one word there is only one way to describe the actions of this fab five. How about the word Selfish ???????

And to think they did all this for a lousy 1000 to 2500 hundred bucks. In todays market that much cash can be spent in a Columbus bar with girls swinging on poles.

Pryor is the real fool here. He may never have a big time future in the NFL. But why is it that guys that put on the Scarlet and Gray can`t take the same road as Archie Griffin did? Griffin has always been a first class individual and when you think of Ohio State he`s an icon not just because of his 2 Heismans but also because he`s lived his life the rigfht way. Pryor will never win a Heisman but he could have went down as a kid that did things the right way. He could have been respected. He could have always came back to C-bus and more or less owned the city because of his name if nothing more. And that $2500 he thought he`d enjoy now. Haha, hey Pryor you could have earned that much money from a 1 hour autograph session in a year from now. I`m a longtime Buckeye fan, but I won`t be rooting for any of these 5 come the Sugar Bowl. Maybe I`m being selfish, haha, not.

Edited by Hannibal Lecter, 24 December 2010 - 02:38 PM.

[dhsdawg06]

PH, I agree with everything you said. Just 2 things.


1 the tattoos turned out to have very little to do with this. I'll say that if all they had done was traded autographs for tattoos, they'd be out for Akron next year and the whole thing would be forgotten about. It's the selling of "their" personal football items that did them in.


2 football isn't the only sport where players can't go pro directly out of high school. They can't in basketball either. Granted, the time they HAVE to be in school in basketball is far less(1 compared to 3), and they do have the option of going to Europe and going pro before going back. Not sure what would happen if a high school football player tried going to Canada for a year before trying to get to the NFL here though. Surprised no one has tried that.

I really wish all the sports would do like baseball does. You can be drafted directly out of high school, and if you wish to sign a pro contract at that time then you're free to do so. Then you spend time in an extensive minor league system to make sure that once you reach the big time you're ready. Once you turn down that contract(or fail to get drafted) and step on the campus of an NCAA school, you have to be there 3 years, where you're free to be drafted again. The way around that of course is to go to community college, where you can be drafted again the very next year after high school. I think a rule like that could potentially solve A LOT of the problems that the NCAA has in both football and basketball. Got pro dreams and don't care a lick about college? Great, you don't have to go. Care about college? Good, you're here for at least 3 years.

[jeffcat-bucki]

Here's my take on the whole situation (that I actually posted on another site also) since this whole NCAA deal has bothered me for a long time.

This is a total joke IMO, and this has nothing to do with me being an OSU fan, I would say the same thing if it happened to Michigan.

1. So where is the cutoff with this rule? This basically is saying that no college athlete can have ANY external source of income while in college. ANY. And people will say "hey, they can get a job at McDonalds the same way I did." Technically no. First of all I would say they had an unfair advantage getting that job over other applicants because of their exposure from being an athlete. Second, I would say they got hired because, by them being there working the cash register, chances are sales will increase. Who wouldn't like to go get a cheeseburger from Pryor? Like him or hate him. VIOLATION! Throw any athlete out who has an external source of income!

What cutoff? The rule is clear and obvious and a common sense rule that warrants a minimum of a 4 game suspension(AJ Green earlier this year). An athlete can obtain external sources of income as long as the income is not generated in a manner that is based upon their athletic success. Pretty obvious and easy to follow. Pryor wouldn't be committing a violation if he was working and people came there because he played football. He isn't receiving any benefit from it even if the employer is.

2. A lot has been said that they knew the rules before they broke them. How is this even remotely close to being true? What exactly is the rule? Any rule (or law) is subject to precedents set. Everyone just got done seeing the latest precedent. A player, or any member of his family, can shop around to schools and receive compensation for the player. Saying Cam new nothing of this is irrelevant, he knew the rules and that makes it his job to explain the rules to anyone involved (like parents). So the precedent was set, an SEC school can pay 6 figures of money (for a competitive advantage), to a player or his family (a financial advantage) for playing an amateur, NCAA sport. So immediately following this, players are suspended for 5 games for getting a tattoo (non-competitive advantage) for an autograph (potentially worth absolutely nothing). So really, who knows the rules here?

This has been annoying. The Cam Newton comparison is irrelevant and has nothing to do with this scenario. This is like going to a murder trial and saying "Well since this guy murdered this guy in these circumstances, we should be acquitted"........doesn't work that way. As far as Cam Newton goes......I quite frankly don't care as it has NOTHING to do with tOSU's former players like Pryor and his pals breaking obvious and clear NCAA rules. And if you want to be that absurd that Pryor and his pals extorting benefits is a "non-competitive" advantage then I could turn around and say what SMU did during the 80s was a "non-competitive" advantage as well.

3. The monopoly and the utilization of indentured servants. So with all of the above being said, lets also look at the monopoly the NCAA has over Football. I say football only, because it’s the only sport this applies to. Any other sport allows a high school kid to directly become pro, except for football. So you MUST go through our amateur level, receive 0 compensation for it (or anything else for that matter) for 4 or 5 years, and after that you might get paid for it (maybe not). I also understand that a free education is worth something, but what? There’s nothing saying that education will net any income whatsoever. So in other words, when I applied for my job, they could have offered me the job but said I have to work for free for 4-5 years, then they will evaluate whether or not they will pay me. By the way, I also cannot use the knowledge I have for this job for compensation in any way, be it within the company or not. I also cannot collect money in any way for anything else either. Oh and after I say no to the offer, they also inform me that I cannot go to another company for the same job as the federal government (the NCAA in this case) mandates that this is my only option if I want to be in this line of work.

I don't always agree with the NCAA but what is this "monopoly" that you speak of? The NCAA consists of school's ADs, Presidents, and other athletic staff. They only make about $700 million/year..........$600/million of which is given directly back to all the universities. It's not like they are a bunch of corporate billionaires. The NCAA doesn't make the rules as to when a player can go pro.......the NFL does with an age limit. You can still get to the NFL without playing college ball.....you just have to sit out years until you are old enough just like the NBA.

Zero compensation?......Free college tuition.....free housing.....free degree......free food......free quarterly/semester stipend of thousands of dollars. These guys are STARS and have MONEY to blow. Now if these circumstances they could always leave their "job" of football and do something......like.......oh.........say........quit football, lose their scholarship, and pay for their tuition, food, and living expenses.........Something tells me they would never complain about scholarship money ever again if that was the case.

[jeffcat-bucki]

As for my take on the matter...........if I was the coach, I'd boot their sorry asses off the team, but I'm not. All I want now is for them them to sit out the Sugar Bowl because all of them besides Thomas will turn pro and any suspensions next year will be totally meaningless. They better sit out the Sugar Bowl or I won't even acknowledge a win over Arkansas as it will be a dirty win and essentially tOSU just admitting they are cheating their way to victory. They control the stake in these suspensions and so far they have elected to play them in this Sugar Bowl Game.

[KahneFan]

If JT wanted to send a message he would make them all sit for the Sugar Bowl but that aint gonna happen. Its all about the cash and tv time....

[Bandido]

It would be great if Tressel would bench the 5 stooges for the Sugar Bowl. Of course he`s not going to do that, but if he did he`d more than earn my respect for the rest of my life. But I`m only one guy while the OSU higher ups would have other plans for JT if he did anything like that.

Can anybody tell me what the difference is between college sports and pro ball? I mean after all it`

[Bandido]

It would be great if Tressel would bench the 5 stooges for the Sugar Bowl. Of course he`s not going to do that, but if he did he`d more than earn my respect for the rest of my life. But I`m only one guy while the OSU higher ups would have other plans for JT if he did anything like that.

[jeffcat-bucki]

It would be great if Tressel would bench the 5 stooges for the Sugar Bowl. Of course he`s not going to do that, but if he did he`d more than earn my respect for the rest of my life. But I`m only one guy while the OSU higher ups would have other plans for JT if he did anything like that.

Can anybody tell me what the difference is between college sports and pro ball? I mean after all it`

They get the bowl payout regardless, but in terms of long term return on investment, the officials would rather see the cheaters on the field because "success" is more important than actually playing a legit collegiate football game.

[flounder]

As for my take on the matter...........if I was the coach, I'd boot their sorry asses off the team, but I'm not. All I want now is for them them to sit out the Sugar Bowl because all of them besides Thomas will turn pro and any suspensions next year will be totally meaningless. They better sit out the Sugar Bowl or I won't even acknowledge a win over Arkansas as it will be a dirty win and essentially tOSU just admitting they are cheating their way to victory. They control the stake in these suspensions and so far they have elected to play them in this Sugar Bowl Game.

This totally pains me to no end, and I hope nobody even notices this, but here goes.......I...flounder....from Delta House, agrees totally with 'Jeffcat Bucki'.......i guess that wasn't so bad!!!!!!!!!!!!

[flounder]

They get the bowl payout regardless, but in terms of long term return on investment, the officials would rather see the cheaters on the field because "success" is more important than actually playing a legit collegiate football game.

Oh crap....another post that 'Bucki' and I agree on.........as for Tressel, he should just go away.....OSU just isn't what it used to be.....it's all about the benjamins in today's college sports!!!!!!!!!!!

[dhsdawg06]

Tressel go away? You all act like this is something new. It's not, the NCAA has been about money and trying to get away with cheating for 50 years or more. Woody did it. Don't even try to tell me he didn't. If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. Blame the system, don't blame Tressel.


But I'm sure you all would rather have Reggie Germany and his 0.0 GPA and 2 wins over Michigan over 14 years.........

[ADog]

Oh crap....another post that 'Bucki' and I agree on.........as for Tressel, he should just go away.....OSU just isn't what it used to be.....it's all about the benjamins in today's college sports!!!!!!!!!!!

Tressel go away? You all act like this is something new. It's not, the NCAA has been about money and trying to get away with cheating for 50 years or more. Woody did it. Don't even try to tell me he didn't. If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. Blame the system, don't blame Tressel.


But I'm sure you all would rather have Reggie Germany and his 0.0 GPA and 2 wins over Michigan over 14 years.........

Have to agree 100 % with dhs.....this type of stuff has been going on for years.....Flounder...wish Tresel would go away?!?!?!?!?!?. He is the best thing to happen to OSU football in years. He has more football players graduating than previous coaches, including Woody. The Bucks are light years better than when good ole Coop was there pertaining to model players etc. Earle Bruce was running a pretty clean program but did not get the superstuds of the world. And Woody....well I have all the respect in the world for him, but if anyone wants to go back and discuss some of the things going on when he was there let me know...

[flounder]

Tressel go away? You all act like this is something new. It's not, the NCAA has been about money and trying to get away with cheating for 50 years or more. Woody did it. Don't even try to tell me he didn't. If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. Blame the system, don't blame Tressel.


But I'm sure you all would rather have Reggie Germany and his 0.0 GPA and 2 wins over Michigan over 14 years.........

OK, I blame the system, but those who take advantage are just as much to blame....in this case, that would be Mr. Tressel......what kind of a ship is this guy running....remember Clarrett....your comment is like saying that Bonds is innocent....give me a break.....and, who the hell gives a crap if we beat Michigan and win an unworldly amount of games.....if it is tarnished, it means nothing.....nothing.........speaking of Woody....well, I know a disciple of Woody who is clean as can be, and never cheated, and you never witnessed his players doing what Tressel's players have done in the past......if they did it was hit the road.......you probably never heard of the guy............Robert Montgomery Knight!!!!!!

On another note......are you going to tell your little Johnny that everybody is doing drugs and the sysyem in our city says it is ok, so go ahead and have a good time doing it.....sheesh.....we are becoming a country of pussies with absolutely no values!!!!!!!!!

[flounder]

Have to agree 100 % with dhs.....this type of stuff has been going on for years.....Flounder...wish Tresel would go away?!?!?!?!?!?. He is the best thing to happen to OSU football in years. He has more football players graduating than previous coaches, including Woody. The Bucks are light years better than when good ole Coop was there pertaining to model players etc. Earle Bruce was running a pretty clean program but did not get the superstuds of the world. And Woody....well I have all the respect in the world for him, but if anyone wants to go back and discuss some of the things going on when he was there let me know...

ADog........

I respect you totally, but winning sometimes isn't everything......as for Woody, he ran a pretty straight ship up until the last few years......believe me when I say Tressel would not make a pimple on Woody's a$$.....I lived in that era!!!!!!!!!!