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Terrelle Pryor cleared to return to Ohio State with Cleveland Browns

By Danny Jaillet

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Now a member of the Browns, quarterback Terrelle Pryor will be allowed to practice at Ohio State, all while serving his five-year ban from the school.

In one of the more bizarre stories of the day, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is returning to Ohio State… for a day.

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Assuming that Pryor is still on the Browns roster when they scrimmage at The Shoe in August, he will be allowed to take part in the scrimmage while continuing to serve a five-year ban that saw among other things, former head coach Jim Tressel lose his job.

“He should be allowed to participate as a member of the Cleveland Browns when they are on campus at Ohio State in August, if he is a member of the team,” an Ohio State spokesman said Wednesday, via ESPN.com. “His participation should be identical to that of all team members, with no special accommodations provided to him due to his Ohio State affiliation.”

Pryor and four other teammates were suspended in December of 2010 for the first five games of the 2011 campaign for selling memorabilia such as championship rings, jerseys, and other items in exchange for tattoos.

Although he was a successful quarterback in college, that success has not translated in the National Football League to this point. After being selected in the 2011 supplemental draft by the Oakland Raiders, Pryor failed to make a valuable contribution for the Silver and Black and bounced around from team-to-team. In five seasons, he has played for the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Browns.

“It is our understanding that there is no issue [with Pryor taking part with the Browns], but we are clarifying,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had told The Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday. “The intent (of the ban) we believe was [to keep him from] working out [in OSU facilities], not performing through a rental arrangement with an NFL team.”

This story evokes the old adage “What are the chances?” Assuming everything goes according to plan, he will have one more shot to set foot on the field where he became one of the most decorated quarterbacks in college football.

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