These last couple months have been a long, bumpy road for Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. And unfortunately, he has nobody to blame but himself.
In case you need to get caught up, it was revealed several months ago that Pryor and several other Ohio State players traded memorabilia for tattoos, and that head coach Jim Tressel had covered for them. Initially, that led to suspensions for all involved parties, but things have gotten progressively worse.
At the outset, Pryor could have chosen to declare for the 2011 NFL Draft. Instead, he promised Tressel he would return for his senior season. As it turned out, Tressel resigned on Monday. As if that wasn't bad enough, it is now being investigated whether or not Pryor has also received cars and other benefits.
Needless to say, Pryor's tenure at Ohio State has taken a turn for the worse. However, these is a way for him to escape.
The draft has already taken place, but the word from ESPN's Adam Schefter is that the NFL lockout will not necessarily cancel the supplemental draft. If there are applicants, it will be held in July.
So far, there haven't been any applicants, and no deadline has been set for interested players to apply.
"If there is one, the supplemental draft would be held mid-to-late July, no later than 10 days before the first training camp opens," said an optimistic league official.
The supplementary draft was implemented in 1977. It is designed to accommodate players who didn't declare for the NFL Draft in time and for those who couldn't because they were facing disciplinary issues. Naturally, Pryor belongs in the latter group.
As for how the supplemental draft works, teams are free to make a "bid" on a player. These bids are the round they would take the player in if they were in the draft. If one team bids a seventh-round pick, and another bids a fifth-round pick, the second team would win the player but would then forfeit its fifth-round pick in the following year's draft.
If Pryor wants of out Ohio State, this is his ticket. It may not be the Radio City Music Hall, but at least it will get him away from Columbus. And better yet, he'll get paid.
Now that Tressel is gone, don't be surprised if Pryor chooses to pursue this opportunity
