Terrelle Pryor’s Supplemental Draft Status Remains Uncertain

Added on Aug 15, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

The NFL Supplemental Draft will be held Wednesday and as of late Sunday the league had not informed disgraced Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor if he’ll be eligible. In a last ditch effort to secure his entrance into the NFL, Pryor is trying to secure a meeting with league commissioner Roger Goodell to plead his case.

For now, Pryor’s team is taking a positive view of the situation according to attorney David Cornwell:

“We have been in discussions with the Commissioner’s office over the past week to address the NFL’s concerns. I am confident that once the NFL has a full understanding of the facts, Terrelle will be part of Wednesday’s supplemental draft.”

It’s unclear, however, what bearing the ‘facts’ will have since based on the NFL rulebook it appears to be a ‘judgement call’ for the league. Here’s the relevant passage governing eligibility for the supplemental draft which couldn’t be any more vague:

“To be eligible for a supplemental draft, a player’s petition for special eligibility must be approved by the League office and his name promulgated to clubs.”

So far there’s a ‘rogue’s gallery’ of academic malfeasants that are thus eligible for the league including former Georgia running back Caleb King, former Northern Illinois safety Tracy Wilson, former Western Carolina cornerback Torez Jones, former Lindenwood University defensive end Keenan Mace, and former North Carolina defensive end Michael McAdoo. Pryor would likely be the most highly sought after of the group, though there has been considerable debate among NFL ‘experts’ as to his suitability for the pro game.

There is some speculation that Pryor could find himself a ‘victim’ of the NFL’s ongoing ‘dog and pony show’ hoping to convince the unwitting masses that they’re serious about maintaining the integrity of the game. According to this line of thinking, the NFL doesn’t want it to look like they’re anxious to welcome players with open arms after they’ve been suspended for violating NCAA regulations (apparently poor academics are a different matter). Pryor may be ‘made an example of’ and forced to sit out a year so the NFL can pat itself on the back for being ‘tough’ on this issue.