5 Reasons Anyone With A Brain Shouldn't Draft Terrelle Pryor As Their Starting QB

Did anyone else catch Terrelle Pryor's press conference today?  All 97 seconds of it, that is.  Pryor read a prepared, soulless statement to the media in attendance which was rife with hollow apologies to his teammates & the fanbase of the institution he shredded into a million pieces, and "shoutouts" to his former head coach, Jim Tressel, whom he helped to place on the unemployment line.  If you didn't here's what Pryor had to say:

Terrelle Pryor / Photo by Amy Sancetta AP

"I say sorry to all the Buckeye nation and all the Buckeye fans across the country.  I never meant to hurt anybody directly or indirectly with my conduct off the field and I am truly sorry.....In terms of coach Jim Tressel, a special shoutout....I'm sorry for what all went down and I apologize with all my heart. I love you just like a father. You taught me a lot and I apologize for putting you in a situation and taking you out of a job and place that you loved to be.  I regret the fact that you're not there any more and I regret the fact that I'm not there any more.....I'm working hard every single day on the field and off the field to be a better quarterback.  Also, one of my goals is to be the best person I can possibly be off the field."

Now maybe I'm crazy, but did Pryor ever say what exactly he was sorry for???

No, I didn't think so either.  He read his statement from a script, barely looking up to make eye contact with the crowd.  Immediately after he was finished, his newly hired agent, Drew Rosenhaus, took to the mic and blathered on about the greatness of Terrelle Pryor and simply refused to take any questions.  All throughout the conference, Pryor spent the majority of the time staring down or at his hands, not showing any semblance of a spine.  And even though Pryor didn't answer any questions and said nothing further, his silence spoke volumes to any teams out there that would possibly choose to take a chance on him during the upcoming NFL Supplemental Draft.  But here are my biggest problems with Pryor's conduct at Ohio State and his future in the NFL, particularly as a Quarterback.

1.  Like I said, I still don't know what he's sorry for.

Not one single word of his statement actually acknowledged what he did.  Pryor did not say to the world, "Yes, I sold my 2008 Big Ten championship ring, my 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and my 2008 Gold Pants, a gift from the university that gave me a free ride and the opportunity to play college athletics on one of the biggest stages in the world for a grand total of $2,500."  He just said he was sorry, but for what exactly?  For selling a symbol of what young men growing up in the state of Ohio dream about all their lives?  About showing as much regard for his sportsmanship award as one would a used car that you'd sell on e-Bay?  Or how about helping to destroy the reputation of a proud and prestigious program that will likely spend the next decade recovering from your selfish and greedy actions?  Now he's not completely on the hook for costing Tressel his job, as the coach as well as the three other players who also sold their memorabilia are just as culpable in all of this, but the QB is the leader on and off the field.  So the least he could have said is that he was sorry for being a a bad leader to his teammates and for the program.  But he didn't even say that.  Now with further allegations from an ESPN report on "Outside the Lines" (remember, this next part is all just accusations at this point) that Pryor has been pocketing close to $40,000 each of the last 3 years by selling autographs, the hole just gets deeper and deeper.

2.  Uh, Character Issues anyone???

Look, if Ryan Mallett was sending up supposed Red Flags all across the NFL for alleged character issues that were based purely on perceptions rather than fact, what color are those flags for Terrelle Pryor??  I mean, we have to come up with a new color, like RE-MAROO-GENTA or something like that.  This is a guy who basically pawned a championship ring that was a symbol of his team and his teammates blood, sweat and hard work for a small chunk of cash.  Oh, by the way, does anyone even know what he spent the money on??  He's a 21 year old kid, so it's not unreasonable to imagine he spent it on video games, or beer/alcohol for a party, or a night out on the town.  That's what kids his age do.  But men, and more importantly, leaders of men don't behave like this.  They set the example to follow, not the cautionary tale to be avoided.  Like I said before, the QB is the leader of the pack, on and off the field.  I believe that if he had not sold his items, then his teammates would have followed his example.  Instead, he broke some of the most serious rules that governed his sport, and that's what they followed.  If you're an NFL exec, do you really want that kind of guy being the face of your franchise????

3.  Pryor only regrets that he got caught, not what he did.

We don't yet know if the newest allegations that Pryor had been selling autographs for the last 3 years at Ohio State are true, but based on his conduct they are not out of character and have some credibility at this point.  More will come out of that, and I'm sure that if it is confirmed that he did in fact commit that kind of violation as well, then we'll see another half hearted attempt at remorse issued in a statement.  And who knows, maybe next time it will come via his Twitter account.  But let's be honest here, Pryor isn't sorry that he did any of it.  He's already looking to move on to a payday at the next level, and will do the absolute minimum that he has to do to get there.  The only thing he "learned" from all of this is to exercise more discretion and do a better job of lying.  Now, he'll be able to afford to pay an entourage to protect him from this type of situation and prevent future media bombs from going off.  Don't be fooled into thinking he learned anything from this.

4.  So after ten years, 7 Big Ten titles, a national championship, and a 9-1 record against Michigan, Jim Tressel gets a "shoutout" from Terrelle Pryor. 

Jim Tressel, from wikipedia.com

I feel like I don't even need to write anything for this one......but I will anyway.  Tressel was Ohio State Football.  The sweater vest that stalked the sideline compiled a 106-22 record in ten years and was arguably the best coach in college football, and definitely the best coach in the Big Ten.  Now think about that.  I'm talking about the same conference that includes Penn State and oh yeah, the winningest coach in college football, Joe Paterno.  But in the blink of an eye, through a few simple and very poor decisions, here we are; Tressel is gone and there is no telling when or if he'll return to coaching at the highest levels again.  Like I said before, Tressel is just as much at fault for hiding these infractions from the NCAA.  But according to Pryor's statement, he "love him like a father."  Gee, I don't know about you all, but I never did anything so selfish as to cost my Dad his livelihood and his dream job, then make a half hearted apology after the fact.  I ask you again, is this the type of guy you want give the keys to if you're an owner of an NFL Franchise?

5.  Leaving Ohio State early truly shows you what Terrelle Pryor is made of.

Now the last part of Pryor's statement really let you know what he's all about.  Here's what I'm talking about.

Pryor:  "I regret the fact that I'm not there any more.....I'm working hard every single day on the field and off the field to be a better quarterback.  Also, one of my goals is to be the best person I can possibly be off the field."

Hey Pryor, the only reason you're "not there any more" is because you are choosing to leave.  You know what would have shown true character?  Staying at Ohio State and getting your degree.  Sure, you might have been declared ineligible, or been forced to sit out more than the 4 games you were required to by the NCAA initially, but now we'll never know.  If you think that the year away from football would have hurt your draft status, try talking to St. Louis Rams DE Robert Quinn.  Quinn sat out all of last year, yet still became a first round draft pick this past year.  If you wanted to show how mature you were, or how much you had learned, how about showing everyone that you were about more than the money and finishing your education.  Last time I had checked, you were still on scholarship and had every right to attend that school, just not play for the team.  You could have still worked to become a better quarterback and you might have even had a chance to work on becoming a better person.  But, you're following the money......again.

There is no denying Terrelle Pryor's physical and athletic gifts.  Comparisons to Cam Newton are very just, and deserved in terms of talent and physical tools.  But talent only gets you so far, and it will only get Pryor so far as well.  To be a professional at anything, you have to have some semblance of character and integrity.

As it stands right now, he's got a ways to go before he's ready to lead anybody again.