| 08 June 2011
When it was finally confirmed that Terrelle Pryor would not be returning to the Buckeyes I sat down to type up a hearty good riddance. As I was thinking what to say, I noticed some threads on the Bucknuts message board about him not returning. I saw him being thanked. I saw him being praised. I was appalled. Then I read some of those threads. I wish I hadn't. I don't want to hear what some fans are saying in those threads. Not right now.
The program is in disarray. The penalties that could be leveled against the program could be devastating. A beloved coach is out of his job. He made bad decisions but lets not kid ourselves. This starts with the actions of Terrelle Pryor and several others.
Yes, lets not forget about the others.
Terrelle Pryor is not the sole reason Jim Tressel was forced to resign. You have to keep in mind that we would be right here anyway because of the actions of several other players in addition to Pryor. By that same token his actions alone could have put us here. His continued actions have kept him in the spotlight, all the while drawing that unwanted light onto the program. The others have had the good sense to find somewhere else to be other than places highly likely to have people with cameras. Pryor cannot seem to stay away from cameras. They are drawn to him, or he to them, like a moth to a flame. Off the field that is a bad thing. On the field it is not. That is what some of the threads on Bucknuts reminded me of.
I don't want to look at his record as a starter, 31-4. I don't want to think about the fact that Pryor led the Buckeyes to back to back wins in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. He was the quarterback when the Buckeyes had Texas beat until the last :16 seconds in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. That was a Texas team many felt was the best team in the country that year. 16 seconds separate Terrelle Pryor from having Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl wins, and lets not forget he was going to be a senior. He still had another year to add to that record. On the field Terrelle Pryor is the most successful quarterback in Buckeye history. He is the best and still had another year to play. We have had one of the great runs in the history of one of the most storied athletic programs in American sports with Terrelle Pryor running this team. I don't want to think about all of this. Not right now.
The fallout is too fresh. The damage is still unfolding. We don't know how bad it can get. Terrelle Pryor has been directly responsible for so much glory. Right now it just does not matter to me.
I want you to remind me about what he did for this football program on the field in a bit. For right now I want to enjoy how happy I am that he is gone. No matter how much damage is done we have the certainty that it has come to an end. A good time to bring up what Terrelle Pryor did on the field might be right about the time that the Buckeyes lose a game because of inexperience at quarterback this fall.
But right now is not a good time.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
