If You Let Me Play, I Promise I'll Come Back And Serve My Suspension!

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So Terrelle Pryor is not coming back to Ohio State for his senior season?  Did anyone really think he would return?  I sure didn't. 

According to this ESPN Report, Pryor banked thousands on selling his autographed merchandise while at Ohio State.  I think in the back of his mind, he knew all along there was no way he'd make it to the beginning of the season.

Terrelle Pryor is the poster child for everything that is wrong with college athletics.  At a distance, Pryor has come across as an arrogant, entitled athlete who seemed to believe he was above rules or regulation.  He was coddled and his childish behavior was enabled by Jim Tressel, and ended up being Exhibit A in the case of the Sweater Vest's dismissal.  This was never more apparent than when he showed up for Tressel's last team meeting in a brand new sports car with a dealer tag.  That's a bad choice, one that reeks of open defiance and blatant disregard.  It turns out the suspicions of most of us were correct.

Kirk Herbstreit spoke negatively about Pryor early in his college career, reporting on his divisiveness and general disregard for authority.  In a nutshell, Herbstreit said that by the time Pryor left Columbus there would be some skeletons in the Buckeyes' closet that would be brought to light.  His observations from inside the program matched my suspicions.  Herbstreit, a former Buckeye quarterback, was so highly criticized for his now-confirmed opinion, that he was blackballed by the majority of Buckeye Nation and was labeled a traitor who had to be jealous because Pryor was a much better quarterback than he was.  The backlash was so bad that Herbie had to move his family out of Columbus down to Nashville, Tennessee. 

In the end, it was Pryor who wasn't the true Buckeye.  He used his position and the school for his own profit and never once considered the repercussions of his despicable actions. 

It truly is sad that he is gone and will not face any punishment for his actions.  Instead his teammates, especially those who grew up dreaming of playing for the Buckeyes, will be left to shoulder the punishment that seems to be mounting as the NCAA hearing nears in August.  The fans will suffer as well, as the Buckeyes appear poised for a postseason ban and a heavy reduction in scholarships, at least. 

While Pryor skates scot-free toward the NFL Supplemental Draft and a career in pro football (maybe even the UFL first), Buckeye Nation will be left holding his baggage of indiscretion, awaiting the anvil the NCAA will be dropping on the program in August. 

I have to ask this:  Does Buckeye Nation deserve what they get for standing behind this clown for this long?  What do you think?

EXTRA:  The NCAA will probably use him as an example in their new compliance videos, much like they did the Miami Hurricanes when they cracked down on unsportsmanlike behavior.  (AWESOME CANES CELEBRATION VIDEO HERE)