ESPN OTL: Terrelle Pryor made $20-$40k autographing memorabilia
Per Michael Kim's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/MKimESPNAmerica/status/78260918198353921
I don't see anything on their main page, and shockingly this hasn't created a Twitterstorm as of yet. I'll update with links if/when they become available.
One has to think Pryor's decision to leave OSU is related to this forthcoming story. Unfortunately, since he's no longer a student-athlete, he technically doesn't have to cooperate with the NCAA.
Edit: I'm an idiot who can't re-size an image. Was going to post this here.
EDIT #2: Link courtesy of Erik_in_Dayton. Gracias.
EDIT #3: More info coming out, this one by SportsbyBrooks (HT: TomVH on Twitter).
I wonder if Gruden or Meyer are still looking for houses in Columbus now. Who besides Fickell is going to want to coach this program after what will likely be more than USC-like penalties.
Lane Kiffin?
To finally get off their horseshit meme that "every program is a little dirty"? I mean, day after day, more graft in OSU's program is exposed. By now, the question isn't whether they should get a mention in the Grifter's Hall of Fame, but how big the shrine should be.
Are we really expected to believe that every school's program is run this way? Seriously? Maybe I've missed the stories on the front page of the Wall Street Journal above the fold, but I don't think any other program has been accused of this kind of corruption since SMU. Not in my lifetime, anyway.
While I agree that saying "everyone skirts rules here and there" isn't justification (or even in the same ballpark) as what's going on down south or at SMU in the 70s and 80s, I don't think it's really a bullshit meme. I would laugh at anyone bold enough to argue that nobody on Michigan's roster has ever broken an NCAA rule. You can't police every little thing, but the issue with OSU is more of a "if you do find something, you better damn well report it lest we force you to die in a fiery abyss." In my opinion, it's the lying, covering up and general lack of effort towards compliance from the people in charge that is the problem, not that the kids broke the rules in the first place. Well, except for the asshattery that is the stupid shit Pryor's been doing. Those are the kinds of players that, regardless of how talented they may be, don't deserve a spot on a NCAA roster.
I don't think anyone (or at least anyone that's remotely intelligent) is saying every school is run this way. But if you dig hard enough and turn over just the right stone, I would not be surprised if you could find improper benefits at every school in the country. The only schools I could really see being anywhere approaching immune to booster money are the service academies.
Some in the media have been using the "everyone is a little dirty" line to diminish the significance of, explain, or excuse what has been going on at Ohio State. It's sickening. I don't mean to suggest that no one at U-M has ever broken a rule, but rather that flagrant, institutional disregard for the rules is hardly commonplace, and to suggest it is an insult to the vast majority of programs.
And for the record, I wrote "horseshit", not "bullshit". Totally different. :-)
So I am sure someone has already suggested this, but MUPPETS BABY IT'S MUPPETS TIME!!
I highly doubt that Pryor declared all of his income from signing that memorabilia.
Can you say Tax Evasion Terrelle?
Between the optimism, Hoke getting the recruiting machine running strong, and tOSU melting down, I cannot remember an offseason I've enjoyed more. Everyday is Christmas when I read mgoblog. It seems to be another "Hello" post or more scandal at tOSU.
big crowd may not be there to sing his praises. With this much electricity, sooner or later the light comes on, even for the dimmest bulbs.
Pryor may not have been the first active Buckeye player to collect cash for signatures from Talbott. The parent of one former Ohio State player told "Outside the Lines" that he saw Talbott provide what he called "stacks of money" to active Buckeye players, including a player now in the NFL.Talk about a systemic problem.
I'm looking back at the the allegations made by Maurice Clarett and it's obvious now that he was telling the truth.
According to Clarett, Tressel arranged loaner cars for him and Tressel's brother, Dick, found him lucrative landscaping jobs that he did not even have to show up for. He says members of Tressel's staff also introduced him to boosters who'd slip him thousands of dollars, and the better he played, the more cash he'd receive. He says boosters eventually began inviting him into their homes or would meet him out in the community.
"When you'd leave, [the booster] sets you straight," Clarett told The Magazine. "They say, 'You got any money in your pocket?' They make sure your money's straight."
And then there was Marco Cooper.
Another former Ohio State player, linebacker Marco Cooper (2000-01; Spring 2002), corroborated many of Clarett's comments. Cooper, who was suspended from the team following two arrests for drug possession, says he also had bogus landscaping jobs, that a booster helped furnish his apartment, and that he was able to borrow cars from local Columbus dealerships in exchange for signed OSU memorabilia.
This is unfuckingbelievable. Loaner cars for signed OSU memorabilia? Sound familiar?
So what does the OSU AD do about the allegations? He throws Clarett under the bus, of course.
"We went through a yearlong investigation of our academic programs, everything that [Clarett] has to allege,'' Geiger said. "He vowed to me that he would do something to try to get us and this may be what he's trying to do. So he's on his own.
"We dealt with this guy [Clarett] for 18 months. I just hope you've checked into the background and history of who you're dealing with.''
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1919059
Also, you can buy your signed Braxton Miller merchandise here:
Has to be loving this stuff more than anyone who is not a Wolverine. SC is yesterday's news. There's a new cheat in town, and every week brings more revelations of how extensive the cheating has been.
Lack of institutional control seems likely. Makes Bush's dealings with the would-be agent or whatever seem positively rational, even normal.
Few things are interesting enough to get me to read 200+ comments in a thread. Best so far is the person who pointed out that this is all very close to what Clarett was saying.
Have to wonder what the penalties could be. If half of what has come out is true, one possibility would be to ban Tressel from ever coaching again in the NCAA. As for the institution, I don't know -- USC-type penalties seem inadequate, even if doubled or tripled in length. Not letting the coach walk away would be a good start, and there's vacating wins and such, but beyond that scholarship restrictions don't seem like enough. As someone else suggested, maybe the Big Ten has to get involved, because they seem like the only ones who can hit OSU where it actually hurts -- $.
If there isn't, I have a sick feeling in my stomach that this is Maurice Clarett all over again. The NCAA has to punish Ohio State because the Vest signed that compliance form.
However, as of right now, Pryor is obligated to answer exactly ZERO of the NCAA's questions. If wealthy boosters want to hand him a few hundred thousand dollars now to keep his mouth shut, the NCAA can't do anything about it. Which we all know is exactly what happened with Clarett.
If he didn't claim a "few hundred thousand dollars" from wealthy boosters on his tax return. If the IRS starts poking around because of any income he might have received from sold memorabilia, cash payouts for silence would almost surely turn up. I'm not sure if even Pryor is that stupid.
You're right about Pryor, but I could care less what happens to him from here on out. After zero punishment was handed to Ohio State for Clarett, or to Auburn for Newton, I'm just hoping something can be proven to have happened while he was uniform with a paper trail.
The NCAA has personal checks written from Talbott to Pryor. There is paper.
The only thing that could make all of this even better is if TP has a press conference on his way out of town. Entertainment value would be immeasurable!
UF's answer: "No it isn't. The big one I expect to come in a few weeks."
Who's UF and what site did you get that from? Looks like more fun reading.
OSU back up QB Guiton linked to Fine Line
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xj6i3a_credit-wbns-columbus-ohio_sport#from=embed&start=54
Was on eleven warriors. This post was in debate over the differences between USC and OSU:
"The scenarios aren't even close regarding the players or the schools reaction to it, no matter how much ESPN and SI want it to be. USC knew, and encouraged his payment plan from the agent. And when the NCAA tried to investigate, USC tried to block them. This isn't close to how OSU handled Tatgate.
I don't think Pryor is an elite QB, but he was a heck of a college football player. And yes, he played his ass off."
This sentiment is echoed over there quite often. I live in Ohio and every day after work it is the same prattle on the local radio shows. No one thinks they are going to get hammered. I remain amazed at their head in the sand mentality.
