Not that most people really care about the NFL’s supplemental draft, but this year, one of the more polarizing college athletes is expected to make his entry through the NFL’s backdoor.
The NFL has re-scheduled the 2011 Supplemental Draft for Monday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. ET. Former Ohio State quarterback Terrell Pryor will be eligible for the draft, but the league is not welcoming the disgraced former Buckeye with open arms.
In announcing that Pryor would be eligible for the supplemental draft, Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled that Pryor will be ineligible to practice prior to or play in the first five games of the NFL regular season after he signs. If selected, Pryor may negotiate and sign a contract with an NFL club, and fully participate in the remainder of the preseason.
The NFL notified teams of this action because of its finding that Pryor made decisions that undermine the integrity of the eligibility rules for the NFL Draft. Those actions included failing to cooperate with the NCAA and hiring an agent in violation of NCAA rules.
I guess my question is why is the NFL coming down so hard on Pryor for defying the NCAA? College teams and entire universities, most recently, The U, continuously make a mockery of the NCAA.
Violations are widespread. We saw it with USC, we’ve seen it in Ohio State, we see it everywhere in college football, even the BCS is shady. In fact, colleges have sent a message with their BCS Championship that they don’t even really need the NCAA.
So back to my original question, why is the NFL and Roger Goodell punishing Pryor ? If Goodell is punishing Pryor, he might as well start making a list of all the players that “undermined the NCAA” during their college tenure.
