Not This Again: ESPN Puts the Microscope on Terrelle Pryor's Vehicle

This feels all too familiar.   Just last year we were talking about USC having to give back wins and scholarships due to Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo’s improper benefits, and now the spotlight is on Terrelle Pryor and The Ohio State University.  Head Coach Jim Tressel “stepped down” after the reputation of his program became unrepairable and now it seems that the heat isn’t off yet.

Instead, ESPN has set their sights to ending the collegiate career of one Mr. Terrelle Pryor.  Here is what was reported (link):

Pryor later traded in his Sonata for a Dodge Charger, acquiring it, according to Kniffin, through a dealership near his hometown of Jeannette. “His dealer always seemed to have a better price than me,” Kniffin said.

Still, Pryor kept turning to Kniffin for cars, or at least loaner cars. He test-drove a Dodge Challenger worth close to $20,000 before that deal was nixed, Kniffin said, by Ohio State officials. “They wouldn’t let him drive it because it was too high-profile,” he said.

Kniffin said Pryor never ended up buying a car from him.

At least one of the dealerships has dozens of autographed jerseys hanging up inside its offices. Pryor said, at the time, that he doesn’t remember signing his jersey that hangs in the dealership.

Here we go again with the worldwide sports leader assassinating the career of another student athlete over something as petty as cars.  My thing is yes, it is the coaches faults for not reporting what they knew to the NCAA but when it comes to the players getting to drive cars and eat free meals I DO NOT CARE.  These guys don’t get one red cent from the billion dollar empire they help build for 2-4 years of their lives.  If an athlete wants a free pizza, or to loan a Denali Truck from a dealer then by all means he should be allowed to do that.  If the coaches find out, then they should simply report it to the NCAA and let them handle it.

I seriously hate the culture the NCAA creates in these Universities.  Student athletes are dead broke, yet stars in these small towns but not expected to benefit from their fulltime job of playing football.  Coaches have to try their best to avoid finding out that their start QB got a loaner car, or that their WR got a free tattoo.  Seriously, in the grand scheme of things there are bigger battles the NCAA can be fighting.

What about the use of human growth hormone in athletics?

What about the presence of gamblers influencing referees?

What about the lack of minority head coaches in the FBS?

What about a playoff system to avoid having multiple undefeated top 10 teams at the end of the year?

But no… I guess Terrelle Pryor “getting his roll on” in a Nissan is a bigger issue, for whatever reason.