Terrelle Pryor is no longer a student at Ohio State University, but that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes can wipe their hands clean of the quarterback and deny any future questions that stem from the situation. In fact, his lawyer is making it rather difficult to do that by saying the school knew about the violations Pryor was committing while still attending the school.
The reason anything is coming to light right now is that Pryor is trying to prove that he should be eligible for the NFL’s Supplemental Draft. In order to do that, he has to prove that he would have been ineligible for the upcoming season prior to this year’s NFL Draft.
Pryor’s lawyer, David Cornwell, told ESPN on Tuesday that Pryor admitted his mentor, Ted Sarniak, gave him and his mother cash and helped with car payments while meeting with the NCAA.
“What we provided for NFL Security (on Aug. 5) was a road map, a timeline and the documentation,” Cornwell said. “Terrelle cooperated, and the violations occurred during a period well before the (April) draft. That’s the key. Those disclosures and documents would have made Terrelle ineligible for the entire 2011 season, and once he made those disclosures to the NCAA, he withdrew from school.”
According to the story, posted by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, an Ohio State spokesman told ESPN on Wednesday that Pryor did not tell the school or the NCAA about any additional violations.
There’s really no telling what this might lead to, but if it’s proven that Ohio State was aware of the violations longer than they’ve previously let on — as Pryor alleges — this mess might not quite be over.