Jared Sullinger ALWAYS looks happy.Some say bad news comes in threes. Those people are probably stupid, and for our sake, let's hope so. But after a second week of non-stop bad publicity, it's definitely nice to be near the end. However, just in case we need to counteract bad voodoo, keep these three things in mind when your thoughts turn to despair: 1) You're not Anthony Weiner 2) Michigan still sucks 3) Ohio State basketball is both awesome and squeaky clean.
Speaking of awesome and squeaky clean, here's your Friday skull session:
He is the Anti-Pryor. No one epitomizes the current iteration of the Basketball Bucks better than Jared Sullinger. ESPN's Andy Katz shows us why in an article interviewing Jared's dad, Satch.
Sullinger comes from a long line of Buckeyes, and Satch Sullinger is a local legend in high school coaching, so it's little surprise that Jared does things the right way. Nonetheless, the dichotomy of Pryor and Sullinger is striking, all the more so in the context of the last few weeks. Quoth the Satch:
"Anybody who ever comes to him, he has told them they have to see me or Coach Matta," Satch Sullinger said. "If you want an autograph, it has to go through compliance."
That's refreshing.
The "scouts" on Pryor. Not that it's too surprising, nor does he deserve much in the way of sympathy, but the usual chorus of doubters immediately began weighing in the Terrelle Pryor's potential in the NFL. The Columbus Dispatch's Tim May and Ken Gordon offer a bevy of opinions, all in general agreement that Pryor is simply not mechanically sound enough to be much of a consideration at QB for most clubs.
Not something any Buckeye fan didn't already know, but at the same time, issues with mechanics certainly didn't cost Vince Young or Tim Tebow much in the way of draft position. Of course, neither of them were forced from their school in disgrace a year before they were ready, either.
Pryor, of course, doesn't listen to scouts. At roughly the same time that scouts weighed in on Pryor extensive limitations, Pryor's attorney put the kibosh on rumors that Pryor may enter a developmental league such as the CFL or UFL to hone his craft before an eventual jump to the NFL.
Not to be critical (except I'm totally being critical), but wasn't an overriding arrogance and unwillingness to do things the right way what got you into this situation in the first place, Terrelle?
Really, Yahoo? Dan Wetzel, Yahoo writer and human phlegm, pens an article arguing that the situation at Ohio State is worse than what went down at USC. While there may be some case to be made that the administration at tOSU has acted far less vigorously than USC's did in response to the issue, it's a little hard to take the argument seriously when Wetzel compares the Athletic Department to the Gestapo. Jack Boots have a long a proud history in the hallowed halls of the WHAC, sir.
If USC was guilty of not acting on allegations that weren’t made until after a player’s career was over, then Ohio State faces the more significant problem of not fully acting on allegations made while a player’s career was still active.
So, essentially, Wetzel's concern lies not to what extent each department and coaching staff conspired to break the rules, and how egregiously they did so, but rather that Ohio State didn't immediately throw Pryor under the bus.
So, in the world of Rivals.com, loyalty is a vice shared by Nazis and Ohio State staffers, used to cover up a few cheap tattoos, the holocaust, and other gross human rights violations. On the otherhand, players literally living in a house bought by an NFL agent, for years, with full knowledge by the head coach, is totally cool as long as the newspapers don't hear about it until he gets drafted, and as long as the university has a good PR department. Got it.
I literally have no idea how these are significant. Nevertheless, the AP and ESPN thought reporting the exit of NCAA investigators and Delaney's admittance of a really minor mistake, respectivley, were noteworthy events. I naturally await follow up articles on which brand of coffee the investigators bought at the airports, and which song Delaney and ESPN makeout to after they tearfully accept each others' apologies for wasting our time.
Since this whole week has been so depressing: Watch these drunk monkeys!
