Suspended Players Lead Ohio State to Bowl Victory

OSU Suspensions

On December 26 five Ohio State University football players were suspended for selling championship rings, jerseys, and awards in addition to receiving improper benefits. QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron, WR DeVier Posey, OT Mike Adams, and DE Solomon Thomas are suspended the first five games of the 2011-12 NCAA football season. These five include OSU’s top passer (Pryor), top 2 rushers (Herron, Pryor), and #2 receiver (Posey) from this season.

The controversy occurred on the decision to suspend the players for next season, but not for Ohio State’s BCS Bowl Game against #8 Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, which took place January 4 and resulted in a 31-26 OSU win. These athletes were recognized for breaking rules, but their punishments 
were inexplicably postponed so that they could play in one of the biggest games of the year.

Sugar Bowl Not So Sweet

Ironically, every one of the future suspended players played a vital role in OSU’s Sugar Bowl victory. Pryor had 336 total yards (221 passing, 115 rushing) with 2 TDs and seemed to use his legs to convert 3rd and long over and over again in order to keep drives alive. Herron rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown. Posey caught 3 passed for 70 yards and a touchdown. Adams contributed when it came to protecting Pryor, who was not sacked all game. Finally, Thomas had the most important play of the game, a game clinching interception with 58 seconds left and Arkansas on the OSU 18. 

Taking the Win and Running

These players should never have been able to play in the Sugar Bowl and because of their NFL eligibility, some of them may not even serve their punishment. Since all five players were able to play in the final game of the season, they were able to showcase their talents one more time in a big game and can now declare for the NFL Draft without having to worry about suspensions. The problem is the potential NFL lockout in 2011, which may lead these players to come back and serve their suspensions while waiting for the NFL and NFL Players’ Association to resolve their disputes as the 2011-12 NFL season goes down the toilet. This fear seems to be the biggest reason preventing these OSU players from declaring for the draft, but will the worry of a lockout be enough? 

Apparently, they all gave OSU coach Jim Tressel their word that they would all come back, but how much credibility can we give these athletes for keeping their word? Sure, they may have said they would stay, but opinions change and much like a high school prospect can back out of a verbal commitment to a college, so can these college players who gave a verbal commitment to their coach. It’s unfortunate, but the reasons for these players to leave far surpass those to stay. Reasons for these players to leave include: 

1. The excuses used for selling gear was that they needed to get money to support themselves and their families, so why would they waste another pay check-less year in college when they could be making millions in the NFL? 
2. Even if someone like Pryor isn’t an NFL ready quarterback, he can become an NFL ready quarterback more easily in the NFL than in college. No, Pryor is not ready to start in the NFL right now, but what if he declares for the draft and sits behind a veteran quarterback for a few years and learns the tools of the trade. There is only one way to become ready for the NFL and that is going up against NFL defenses who are vastly superior to college defenses.
3. Additionally, why would the potential NFL players risk their NFL careers by coming back to college and injuring themselves. This became a real possibility when, towards the end of the Sugar Bowl, Pryor missed a snap because he came up limping and had to get his ankle taped.
4. Finally, for a player like Pryor who was a potential Heisman candidate at the beginning of the season, missing the first five games of next season means that in order to be in the Heisman Trophy talk, he’ll have to do much more than everyone else in the trophy talk due to his decrease in numbers from the suspension.

If even one of the five suspended players bolts to the NFL in order to avoid suspension, a precedent will be set in terms of punishments. It’s one thing for an NFL player to be caught for past violations when he was back in college (i.e. Reggie Bush), it’s another thing for a college player to be caught with violations and then leave college for the NFL to avoid punishment and instead get a hefty contract.