Report Coming..Pryor took $20 Grand

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Well it looks like this is way Terrelle quit today...There is suppose to be a report coming out tomorrow that Pryor took between $20,000 and $40,000 for autographs in the 3 yrs he was at OSU....here is the story from ESPN:

Terrelle Pryor signings netted thousands

By Tom Farrey and Justine Gubar
ESPN.com
Updated: June 7, 2011, 10:14 PM ET
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor made up to $40,000 signing memorabilia - ESPN

COLUMBUS -- Terrelle Pryor, who announced through his attorney Tuesday that he would bypass his senior season at Ohio State, made thousands of dollars autographing memorabilia in 2009-10, a former friend who says he witnessed the transactions has told "Outside the Lines."

The signings for cash, which would be a violation of NCAA rules, occurred a minimum of 35 to 40 times, netting Pryor anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 that year, the former friend says. The source spoke to ESPN under the condition that his face not be aired on TV and that his name not be published.

He said Pryor was paid $500 to $1,000 each time he signed mini football helmets and other gear for a Columbus businessman and freelance photographer, Dennis Talbott. Talbott twice denied to ESPN that he ever paid Pryor or any other active Buckeye athlete to sign memorabilia. He said last week he has only worked with former players to set up signings. On Tuesday evening, he declined to comment whether he had ever operated a sports memorabilia business and said he was not an Ohio State booster.

Pryor's former friend also told "Outside the Lines" that the player often received preferential treatment in the Columbus community, receiving thousands of dollars in free food at local restaurants and convenience stores, free drinks at bars and free tattoos. In addition, he said the quarterback had access to free loaner cars from local dealerships. The source said he spent nearly every day with Pryor before their relationship soured when Pryor began taking on a more "arrogant" attitude after his 2009-10 season.

He said Pryor would get the merchandise to sign from Talbott, who would "bring it to TP, and he would sign it and he would bring him cash. Dennis would give him cash." He said he witnessed the transactions occur about three to four times a week at Pryor's apartment.

The former friend said Pryor would spend his money lavishly at times, that the player had a "shoe fetish" and bought many expensive hats, belts and pieces of jewelry. He said he was particularly fond of Gucci items. ESPN independently confirmed Pryor made multiple such purchases.

Pryor's attorney, Larry James, denied the allegations against his client.

Pryor may not have been the first active Buckeye player to collect cash for signatures from Talbott. The parent of one former Ohio State player told "Outside the Lines" that he saw Talbott provide what he called "stacks of money" to active Buckeye players, including a player now in the NFL.

Pryor's former friend said he was wary of Talbott: "He's the type of person that ... I think he really took advantage over TP because he was that person, and he would bring him, he would bring TP like memorabilia to sell for other people. So Dennis is not a good guy for college athletes. That's the guy you really don't want to be around."

Talbott, 40, shot photos of the major sports teams in Ohio, including Ohio State and the Cincinnati Bengals, as a freelance photographer. He has sold images to ESPN.com in the past.

On Tuesday, he denied that he ever received game tickets from players, though records from Ohio State show that he and his wife were on a player's will-call ticket list multiple times throughout the 2008 season. When asked about those records, Talbott said he couldn't remember if he had received such tickets.

According to public websites, Talbott claims to have earned an undergraduate degree from Kent State University and later attended Ohio State briefly.

He has managed or owned staffing and employment recruiting businesses over the last decade, though a search of public records reveals a series of liens and financial judgments against him. The most substantial include an Internal Revenue Service lien filed in 2009 for $278,875 in unpaid federal taxes, followed by a state of Ohio tax lien in 2010 for $74,227.

The latest news about Pryor comes just eight days after Buckeyes coach Jim Tressell was forced to resign for not reporting information he'd received about players receiving improper benefits.

Pryor's career at Ohio State, which started with so much promise and potential, came to an abrupt and scandal-ridden end Tuesday evening, when he announced through his attorney that he would not play for the Buckeyes this season. He had already been suspended for the first five games for breaking NCAA rules by accepting improper benefits from the owner of a tattoo parlor.

"In the best interests of my teammates, I've made the decision to forgo my senior year of football at The Ohio State University," Pryor said in a statement issued by James.

James said entering the next NFL supplemental draft is Pryor's "desire." But James acknowledged labor uncertainty could lead to consideration of the Canadian Football League or working with a personal quarterback coach first.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
"...receiving thousands of dollars in free food at local restaurants and convenience stores, free drinks at bars and free tattoos..."

That kind of stuff goes on all the time in every college town. The stars of the team get more, but most times all you have to be is on the roster to get free food, drinks, clothes, all kinds of stuff.

The problem with Pryor is that he's exhibiting the classic behavior of someone who likes to spend, and he'll end up being just another NFL statistic of many who end up making serious money, and shortly after leaving the league he'll be broke and in debt.
 

BillChaffey

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
"He signed 35-40 times" for $500 to a $1000.00 So he signed forty times for a grand each or it's just some current or former player who's jealous because he couldn't get as much. Who in their right mind would pay a $1000.00 for a miniature football? Unless it was autographed by Knute? Rockne. (SP)
 
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chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
Report: Buckeyes, autographs could be ‘toxic combination’

Report: Buckeyes, autographs could be ?toxic combination? - NCAA Football - Sporting News

The latest allegations that quarterback Terrelle Pryor was paid $20,000 to $40,000 to autograph mini-helmets and other Buckeyes gear during his Ohio State career, according to an ESPN report, may be the most serious accusation yet against the embattled program, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.

According to the newspaper, Ohio State has been dealing with an autograph problem for years, attempting to rectify it by shutting down fans’ free autograph access to current players.

Yet, the Plain Dealer noted, there continues to be an autograph circuit at the end of the season that Buckeyes players whose eligibility is finished hit every year after their bowl game and before the NFL draft.

The circuit, described as a “well-oiled machine” by the Plain Dealer, involves traveling to malls and memorabilia stores around the Ohio, and, according to the report, can net players “thousands of dollars, all without penalty.” The key: Those Buckeyes are done playing, no longer under the watch of the NCAA and free to make money as they choose.

However, if the cash-for-signatures business has made its way to current players, as ESPN’s report alleges with Pryor as well as other players of the past, then Ohio State could face stiff questions from the NCAA, given that the university—in its actions related to autographs—has acknowledged an awareness of the value of current players’ signatures.

If the school failed to keep tabs on what current players were signing and for whom, then it has a problem because, as the Plain Dealer noted, “Ohio State knows all about autographs and the seller's market and the problems they can create for a player and a program. Not having a handle on what may have been going on there would be tougher to explain away,” even if—perhaps especially if—OSU took steps to limit free autograph opportunities with current players.

At this point, if recent revelations prove to be true, Ohio State has to be trying to avoid the NCAA’s accusing it of lack of institutional control or failure to monitor, accusations that, if upheld, can lead to severe NCAA sanctions such as scholarship losses and bowl bans.

The Plain Dealer points to the recent ruling on USC’s case: The NCAA said the school had a greater responsibility to keep tabs on a superstar like Reggie Bush. The same idea would apply to Ohio State in regards to Pryor, who was the No. 1 recruit in the country and has been the face of the program in his three seasons there.

Terrelle Pryor, autographs and a known member of the autograph world would be a potentially toxic combination, the Plain Dealer concluded.
 
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jimby82

Veteran Expediter
At this point, I doubt this will be the last allegation to rear its ugly head. Would not be surprised to see this cost the AD and possibly even the president their jobs. (Gee, not Obama - sorry Chef :cool:)

And ya know, we (as the OSU / college football loving public in general) share some of the blame for this. If there were not such a lucrative market for all the memorabilia or anything else associated with big-time college sports, this might not even be a problem in the first place. Reminds me sometimes of Rome and the gladiators. We really don't have our priorities straight as a nation.

And yes, I'll admit I'm as guilty as most in making these young men into some sort of heroes come fall. They're not. The real heroes wear a different uniform.
 
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