Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor will appeal his five-game suspension after the Indianapolis Colts hired Pryor's former Ohio State coach, Jim Tressel, who left his OSU job due to his connections to the same scandal that led to Pryor's suspension.
Terrelle Pryor Will Appeal Suspension In Wake Of Jim Tressel Hire, According To Report
Pryor's appeal is designed to force the NFL's hand, as Doug Farrar points out: the league will have to suspend Tressel as well or change Pryor's suspension, or risk appearing to be completely unfair. That last option might not seem like that big a deal, but given the right media coverage, it could create a public relations problem for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has already faced accusations that his repeated 2010 fines of Steelers defender James Harrison, in particular, were arbitrary.
Also, many NFL players are already concerned that the new collective bargaining agreement gives Goodell too much power to make unfair, arbitrary decisions - like suspending a player for something that happened when he wasn’t even in the NFL, and then potentially not suspending his former coach for his involvement in the same scandal.
Pryor had previously said that he would accept the suspension, but it light of Tressel’s hire, it’s hard to blame him for changing his mind.
For more on Terrelle Pryor and the Oakland Raiders, check out Silver And Black Pride.
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