Doug Lesmerises of the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER reports that Terrelle Pryor missed the traditional ‘Beef Bowl’ at Lawry’s Prime Rib on Sunday because he didn’t properly adhere to Jim Tressel’s dress code.
Yes, Pryor is the best player on a team that generated $36M in profit for Ohio State last year, essentially paying for all other sports teams at the school save men’s hoops. Yes, Ohio State will sell thousands of Pryor #2 jerseys this season. Yes, Pryor’s play will ultimately inspire many non-athletes to enroll at the school. And yes, Pryor’s a big reason why Ohio State will enjoy an $18M(!) Rose Bowl payout this year.
But, he was wearing jeans.
I have no problem with a team dress code, but when college athletes generate as much revenue as they do in football and basketball, it’s a little absurd for someone like Tressel to bar Pryor from a team function for wearing jeans.
Pryor handled it as well as anyone in his position could. Thank goodness for Ohio State he doesn’t play hoops. Or is in touch with reality.
Now if Pryor was getting paid, as he should be, then it’d be a completely different story. But he isn’t.
3:56 pm on December 28th, 2009
Too bad, rules are rules. What is that education worth? What is the opportunity to showcase his skills, and training under a coach like Tressel worth?
If he doesn’t like it, go to the CFL.
3:58 pm on December 28th, 2009
Why should he get paid? He’s getting a free education. The possibility that he might not fully take advantage of that is his problem when he’s hosting at a Vegas hotel in ten years like
Leon Spinks.
4:15 pm on December 28th, 2009
Are you kidding me with this “story”? Who gives a darn how many jerseys with his number on it get sold? Who cares how many students apply to OSU because of football success? What on Earth do those things have to do with a young man being given rules and not adhering to them? We need MORE discipline in college athletics, not more free reign. Good for Coach Tressel, he can coach my son any day.
4:23 pm on December 28th, 2009
It may be somewhat “absurd”, but the rules are the rules. The NCAA has rules and the coach even has rules for his team.
Besides, these scholarship athletes get free tuition, books, etc. That cost me thousands upon thousands….
4:25 pm on December 28th, 2009
Brooks writes, “I have no problem with a team dress code, but when college athletes generate as much revenue as they do in football and basketball, it’s a little absurd for someone like Tressel to bar Pryor from a team function for wearing jeans.”
What he means is ” I have no problem with a team dress code, but when college athletes generate as much revenue as they do in football and basketball, I do.”
Pryor needs to follow the rules just like anyone else on that team. Tressel would risk team divisiveness he was selective wrt rule enforcement.
4:49 pm on December 28th, 2009
This is clearly an error in judgement by Brooks. If the rule is, “don’t wear jeans” than the punishmnet fit the crime.
The rest of this story is just bluster. Brooks, find something else to rail about. Isn’t there a Tiger story you missed somewhere?
5:47 pm on December 28th, 2009
you ppl r retarded!!! he his paying for his education wit his time and ability. all osu does is add a chair to the classroom. no one is getting “billed”. he should of been sent away for breaking rule but dont act like he is the worst person ever. while your bashing pryor for getting a “free ride” dont let your envy get the best of ya
6:03 pm on December 28th, 2009
Excuse me, but last time i checked an athletic scholarship doesnt cover dress pants. Im sure if Pryor took a suit from a booster some of you people would be all over his ass for that so dont go nailing him to the cross for wearing the only appropriate clothes he has access to.
Maybe you dont realize just how poor some of these student athletes are.
6:06 pm on December 28th, 2009
The writer of this story is OBVIOUSLY not an athlete, otherwise he would understand why Tressel did what he did….get a clue.
6:09 pm on December 28th, 2009
Brooks: “Dress codes are all fine and dandy, except when they affect superstars college athletes, cause those guys earn schools so much damn money”.
Women’s Tennis: “Players shall not utter profanities nor verbally or physically threaten umpires, except Serena Williams, cause shes boosts our ratings and earns us so much damn money”
PGA: “Players shall not throw clubs, except Tiger Woods, cause that guy practically prints us money. Did you see our ratings when he was out?”
Police: “Drivers shall follow posted speed limits, except rich guys, cause they pay so damn much in taxes”
6:14 pm on December 28th, 2009
jerry:
I always enjoy reading comments in which someone writes about education and calls other people “retarded”, and then writes “should of”.
Thanks for the laugh.
6:17 pm on December 28th, 2009
@ Jerry
nobody is bashing the young man. If anything we are bashing Brooks for posting this as an actual news item. Kid ignores dress code, coach sends kid home, end of story.
@Excuse
Simmer down, guy. He is the most popular guy on the biggest college campus in the world. If he doesn’t own a pair of khakis (highly doubtful), he can borrow a pair. Save the poor kid story for Mitch Albom’s next book.
Good lesson for a young man who will be in the NFL in the near future: no one is above the team rules. No one.
6:24 pm on December 28th, 2009
Way to spin a story sideways. You take a story like Pryor not being able to go to the Beef Bowl and turn it into “College athletes should get paid.” story. WTH?
Rules are rules and anybody knows if you don’t enforce one rule, people might decide to disobey all of you other ones. What would stop Pryor from breaking this rule like “Don’t take money from a booster.” ?
7:06 pm on December 28th, 2009
Best player? For osu’s sake you better have better player’s then Mr Pryor or you are going to have a long day on Friday. Unfortunately this kid has been all hype thus far, the less he touches the ball the more often they have won. Would hope he develps into more but obviously Tressel hides him from the media and the ball for a reason. Here is a to a good game on Friday.
7:32 pm on December 28th, 2009
Personally, I don’t have a problem with the punishment in this instance. Yes, it’s a small rule. But the punishment fit the rule - he didn’t want to meet the dress code, he doesn’t get to attend what was essentially a free meal. Small rule violation = small punishment. Problem solved.
I’m hoping that this small instance will send the desired message to the rest of the players: “I don’t care who you are, or how much you think the team needs you. I will enforce the rules equally for every player.”
Hopefully, this small instance might prevent the coach from later having to punish players for rules violations in ways which will punish the entire team, such as when a coach has to suspend a player from participating in one or more games.
“pour l’encouragement d’entre d’autres” (translation: for the encouragement of others).
7:48 pm on December 28th, 2009
I guess the rules apply to everyone but Pryor. Based on interviews
I have seen him do, he’s lucky to be in college and have a stage to showcase his skills.
8:47 pm on December 28th, 2009
Tressel is the man. If Pryor can’t remember how to dress himself perhaps he shouldn’t be allowed near anything sharp. He wouldn’t have been allowed in the restaurant anyway.
10:26 pm on December 28th, 2009
I’m trying to figure out why people are still arguing that these guys get a free education. It’s so ironic that some of these armchair quarterbacks love to insult the intellectual ability of these athletes but they can’t grasp the basic concept of an athletic scholarship.
I’ll try to explain this once again: You EARN an athletic scholarship for PLAYING collegiate sports. If you DON’T play, you LOSE your scholarship. Hence, it’s NOT a FREE education.
Is that simple enough? Geezus.
@JK. And you are an athlete? Playing Nintendo Wii doesn’t qualify. Ask Jimmy Johnson if his rules applied to everyone with no exceptions.
How many times has Pryor and the other REVENUE-generating athletes paid for their education and the educations of the male gymnasts and female b-ball players? Give me a freaking break. Most of the posters on this board are frustrated wannabe athletes that wouldn’t know a playbook if Coach Hayes slapped them with it.
11:23 pm on December 28th, 2009
pryor needs to learn to follow the rules.
i knew him when he played high school ball in jeannette, pa. he felt privileged because the f-ball and b-ball coaches treated him like god and let him do ANYTHING he wanted. he ran the teams and made his own rules.
he’s a great athlete who never had anyone tell him “no,” and i still don’t think he’s out of the woods.
you’re wrong on this one, brooks — completely. rules are made for EVERYONE, not everyone except the star or the quarterback.
don’t you realize the coach sent the entire TEAM a message with this? the team is bigger than one person — something pryor has yet to learn.
11:45 pm on December 28th, 2009
its cuz ohio state and pryor especially is a team composed of a bunch of thugs
8:33 am on December 29th, 2009
Pryor has been known to be a bit of a problem child. This doesn’t surprise me one bit. The kid thinks he is above everyone else. I have that from very good sources. The rest of the team dressed as mandated and this punk decided that he didn’t need to follow the rules.
BTW, he is not a very good player. Easily one of the most overrated players in CFB.
8:36 am on December 29th, 2009
The question for Brooks is, where does it stop? You say “Pryor: Makes Millions for OSU, Can’t Wear Jeans.” What’s your next “article”? Makes Millions, has to go to class. Makes Millions, can’t drink and drive. Your “articles” have become more ridiculous with time.
8:53 am on December 29th, 2009
Cut the violin-playing Brooks. Get back to the SbB Girls. Build your credibility back up.
11:50 am on December 29th, 2009
“Makes Millions, has to go to class.”
1:39 pm on December 29th, 2009
I am kind of confused. There are several issues at play here and no one seems to want to address them all at once as you guys seem to pick and choose.
1. If he knew it was a team rule and broke it, then good he was punished. If he had access to the appropriate clothing and chose not to wear it than Trussel was justified.
2. If he has to abide by a dress code and does not have access to the correct clothing, than the rule is grossly unfair and biased. Poor black kid can play football on the field all day long and make 100 million dollars a year for the school… but dont come to our sit down dinner. THe student athlete is not even allowed to have a job as it is against NCAA rules and “might” be a booster funneling money to the program.
3. If a booster or the program decided to actually provide their players with dress clothes for these events to abide by the imposed dress code the NCAA would suspend them from bowl play in a new york minute.
I think that last point is what brooks was hinting at. How can this program make the university 100 million dollars a year (in endorsements, TV contracts, and Bowl money) while only having to pay out about 1 million dollars in scholarships and NOT provide these kids with a pair of dockers? It seems unfair that the kid cannot even GET A JOB TO BUY DRESS PANTS without being in violation of NCAA rules. The kid really has no recourse and is completely at the mercy of the system
How about Pryor not play in the bowl game as he decides he is not appropriately dressed to go on the field? The university would toss his ass in a second and he would be bagging groceries like Michael Williams. See where this is going?
1:46 pm on December 29th, 2009
You are way off base with this angle. Less discipline is good? Pryor new the rules just like everyone else. He challenged the coach just to see what he’d do. Congrats Jim Tressel…for being a coach and not a wuss. Pryor still represents the university and program. Fall in line.
2:45 pm on December 29th, 2009
Discipline or lack there of have been missing in college sports for quite some time. Coaches and fans are tired of the players acting like rock stars and doing whatever they want. Players are given per diems and this money can be used for a pair of dress pants as well as cell phone bills, drinking drugs, condoms, etc. It is better now that he learns there are rules to follow in life, not to hurt but to help you become a better person.
2:48 pm on December 29th, 2009
it’s all bill polian’s fault!
8:38 am on December 31st, 2009
Are we talking about the same Terrelle Pryor who offered this stirring defense of Michael Vick?
“Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does — kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me.”
Aside from being the most overrated, over-hyped prospect in recent memory, he’s obviously as dumb as a box of hammers. If he couldn’t play football he couldn’t get into ANY school. The jeans incident is clearly symptomatic of bigger character flaws.
And seriously guys, are we all arguing under the delusion that this kid is starving college student?
And to the Wile E Coyote super-genius who explained how scholarships work: You do not lose your scholarship if you do not play. Maybe you and Pryor can sip brandy and discuss Plato together.