Ohio State Car Investigation: University Ends Inquiry Into Buckeye Auto Deals

Look at Gruden’s wide-eyed awe as he gestures at the screen and says, “These ... these Ohio State people!” Here’s a GIF of an Ohio State person:

And that’s great, unless they missed something, which would only hurt the university’s standing with the Committee on Infractions. In addition to the test drives mentioned in yesterday’s update, there are still a couple more ways this thing could go sideways for the Buckeyes; namely, that the BMV’s investigation didn’t give the Bureau access to players’ financial records. Our Ohio State blog, however, is just happy for the moment to have at least part of this whole mess over and done with.

There’s a strongly-worded report out from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles which states clearly that an internal investigation into car purchases made by Ohio State football players has uncovered no evidence of illicit dealings on the part of the players. The Associated Press has more:

Are the Buckeyes out of the woods on this particular investigation? Maybe, but pitfalls still lie ahead before OSU administrators can kick back and focus on the first, larger memorabilia investigation instead. The BMV investigation’s conclusion doesn’t mean the NCAA won’t be looking into all the details of the situation it can dig up, and if they find discrepancies in this reportedly perfect paperwork, there’ll be more trouble in Columbus. And given the Committee on Infractions’ capricious behavior of late when it comes to rulings, it’s still possible other elements of the players’ relationship with the auto dealers (like those perhaps too-frequent Terrelle Pryor test drives) could be tagged as illegal benefits. I hate to wrap up another update with, “This is the NCAA we’re dealing with, so all we can do is wait and wonder and, if we’re wearing scarlet and gray, cross our fingers,” but here we are again.

Roll your eyes all you want at that last part, and it’s hard to take his concern for the school without at least a grain of salt considering he’s already had to publicly apologize to Buckeye Nation once, but his words on Tressel read like grown-man s---. To me, at least.

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↵Now, we don’t know for sure that this is Pryor’s car being towed, but it matches a Nissan 350Z Pryor was whipping around Columbus as of just a few weeks ago. And, uh, how many people are tooling around Columbus in black Nissan 350Zs?

[solemn voiceover] The stated mission of ESPN’s Outside the Lines is to “examine topical issues off the playing field,” but there sure is a lot of grass on this one! [end pundit voiceover]

I digress, however: Terrelle Pryor has been playing illicit rounds of golf! This is brought to you by the headline, “Sources: Terrelle Pryor indulged in golf” and whatever letters make up the chemical compound for aspirin.

Somebody’s lying, misled, or badly mistaken here: Checks are obviously easier to track than other forms of payment, making this aspect of the story a very strange choice for a fabrication if it’s made up, and idiotic to deny if it’s not.

Want to venture over to Dennis Talbott’s online empire and scope out the goods for yourself, for old times’ sake? Too bad: At some point this week, all his Ohio State memorabilia was disappeared from his eBay account, making the real victims in this latest episode the die-hard would-be bargain shoppers looking to scoop up team decor on the cheap while public sentiment is at an all-time low.

But as sports fans everywhere worth the emotional scars borne from their team’s inexplicable near-faceplants against a vastly overmatched Illinois teams know, it can always get worse. Columbus’ ABC6 raises a question that’s been idly circling the national consciousness on Twitter for a couple days now: You know all that money Pryor allegedly earned selling his autograph and team memorabilia? Suppose the figure of his income gets pinned down, and the IRS comes calling?

I think Jones actually does make a good point in regards to Pryor but I would point out that the Ohio State QB reportedly made between $20,000-40,000 selling autographs and memorabilia so he was getting something more than just McDonald’s.

• Vague and lawyerly threats of a lawsuit in some hazy future over the ESPN report on the five-figure income from memorabilia sales Pryor is said to have enjoyed during his time at Ohio State.

• The bold prediction that all nine players outed for tattoo swaps in George Dohrmann’s report will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

According to a report by Paul Aker of 10TV in Ohio, Talbott canceled his radio and TV appearances on Wednesday on the advice of his lawyers. Talbott told Aker that all of these accusations were false and “shocking” that they were even put out there.

But obviously Talbott is a big fan of Pryor’s: 10TV’s report found that Talbott owned a vehicle that had “T PRYOR” as its license plate.

The finest joke-farm-to-blog-table reactions to Terrelle Pryor’s ignominious exit from the Ohio State Buckeyes, from around SB Nation and neighboring quippy Twitter feeds, lovingly curated for you by our editors. Bon appetit.

If Pryor does enter the Supplemental Draft, he would no longer be considered a “student-athlete,” removing his obligation to speak with NCAA investigators and officials. [...] After forcing Jim Tressel to retire last Monday, it’s clear that Ohio State as an institution is in full damage-control mode. Pryor’s parting from the university removes the highest profile case of NCAA wrongdoing left on the Oho State campus, and, if investigators cannot prove Pryor received additional improper benefits without his cooperation, his exit may have just saved Ohio State from being charged with institutional penalties by the NCAA.... until, that is, the five-figure autographed earnings portion of Pryor’s exit story dropped last night, along with sentiments in Buckeye Nation:

If proven, the information contained in this piece is far more devastating to Ohio State than anything in the Sports Illustrated or Dispatch articles. The unnamed “former friend,” if he testifies for the NCAA, jeopardizes every defense Ohio State’s administration has offered for the previous allegations and acknowledged wrongdoings.Sports by Brooks has documents indicating the concerned memorabilia dealer Dennis Talbott’s eBay handle is “infickellwetrust.“ While I feel deeply for the Ohio State fans in my life, and they are myriad, for the pure sake of comedy I desperately hope this to be true.

In addition to the reported dollar amount, the friend said Pryor was treated like an idol, receiving free food, gifts and cars while in Columbus.

Emphasis is mine. While it certainly may be true that Pryor made a decent wage signing items on a regular basis, the source of the story, and only source in the story, is a jaded friend who had a falling out with the quarterback. Nevertheless, the OTL report goes deeper than just Pryor, naming a memorabilia dealer the Buckeye quarterback allegedly dealt with and digging into his financials. The full report can be found over at ESPN.

I wouldn’t count on the quarterback’s move leading NCAA investigators away from Columbus. More likely he means he’s leaving to avoid distracting his teammates throughout the summer and beginning of next season, though of course his true motivation is more likely to avoid being stuck on the sidelines of Ohio Stadium when he could instead be doing the same for an NFL team.

Pryor would leave Ohio State tangled up in multiple controversies, both of which have prominently involved him. He played in the 2011 Sugar Bowl against Arkansas despite being suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season due to the program’s tattoos-for-memorabilia scandal, and as of late has also become the biggest target in the investigation of Columbus’ supposedly scandalous car ring.

His exit would not be a surprise at all, with half a season already removed from his Ohio State future, the exit of the coach who recruited him and general NCAA mayhem looming around the program. Stay tuned.

As the NCAA’s investigation into possible violations committed by Ohio State in regards to a Columbus car dealership wears on, and with coach Jim Tressel no longer around to take the brunt of the blame, Terrelle Pryor, the Buckeyes’ quarterback, is left to twist in the wind.

But Pryor’s lawyer, Larry James, indicates his client might be nearing a decision about whether to remain at Ohio State or leave for professional football. And his godfather and legal guardian, Willie Burns, disputed an Associated Press report in which he was quoted as saying Pryor was leaning toward returning to Columbus for his senior season.

The Ohio State football program has been sent through the wringer in recent weeks, and with the departure of head coach Jim Tressel, the makeup of the Buckeye roster isn’t quite certain heading into the 2011-12 season. According to to Terrelle Pryor’s godfather, however, the quarterback is likely to stay at Ohio State for his senior season. From the Associated Press:

A quick departure from the land of ill-gotten automobiles to visit the issue from a football perspective: last season, Pryor completed 210 of 323 passing attempts for 2,772 yards, throwing 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran the ball 135 times for 754 yards, good for an average of 5.6 yards per carry.

Columbus lawyer Larry James, attorney for the Tattoo Five, says Terrelle Pryor’s fleet of vehicles is as clean as a whistle.

But did he really accuse Ohio State of doing anything in particular here? Here’s the quote:

I dunno, man. I’m calling fake on this.

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Terrelle Pryor’s recruitment to Ohio State had Buckeyes fans thinking the large, fast, vaguely Vince Young-ish quarterback might be the sort of player who is completely beyond the usual laws of the football field. But now, they’re hearing that he may have been above the law off the field: Pryor, the subject of an investigation into Ohio State’s relationship with a car dealership in Columbus, may have operated under “his own set of rules,” according to ESPN analyst and former Ohio State player Chris Spielman.

Spielman spoke to Columbus radio station WNBS about the Ohio State scandal, and dished some details on Pryor’s reputation at Ohio State:

↵ht Eleven Warriors

One thing it’s hard to dislike about car dealers: they never, ever stop selling. Look at all that volume! How can you not trust this guy? Car dealers are kind of like football coaches in that way. Of course, he didn’t really specify in that clip that he didn’t cut Pryor a great deal, so maybe everybody in Columbus drives free cars. It’s kind of like Heaven. Just speculating.

With all that going on, let’s all hope Pryor has a very good explanation as to how he just pulled up at Ohio State’s Woody Hayes Athletic Center in a recently-purchased Nissan 350z.

With reports like this one that says Pryor may have played his last down for the Buckeyes, this is either going to be a masterstroke in spinning the story or Terrelle Pryor simply being Terrelle Pryor.