Terrelle Pryor Snubs The CFL

Added on Jun 10, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

Terrelle Pryor got out of Ohio State right behind his former coach Jim Tressel and just ahead of an investigation over his potential violation of NCAA rules by accepting free tattoos and cars. He’s now focused on his future in professional football but that apparently won’t be up North of the border. Pryor has turned down an offer to play in the upcoming CFL season suggesting that he’s ‘focused on the NFL’.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders own Pryor’s CFL rights and they sent an offer to Pryor through his attorney, Larry James. James said that Pryor wasn’t interested:

“They sent the package last night, I forwarded it to Terrelle and Terrelle said that he wasn’t interested today. He did not go into discussion. He just said he’s not interested in the Canadian Football League. Obviously the offer was not sufficient to whet his taste buds.”

Pryor wants to play in the NFL and the league may hold a supplemental draft:

“If there are players that apply and are deemed eligible, there will be a supplemental draft.”

Ohio State is reportedly ready to provide a letter indicating that Pryor would not have been an eligible student athlete under NCAA rules going forward. This will in theory help his case with getting into a NFL supplementary draft.

Quarterbacks’ trainer George Whitfield compared Pryor to Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton:

“Cam Newton and Terrelle Pryor are comparable. Terrelle is a guy who is going to want to improve his mechanics and there’s no evidence to suggest he can’t. Cam seemed to have more confidence in his arm strength. But the tools and the ceiling for those two are comparable.”

If Newton isn’t able to get into the NFL this season he could end up playing in the UFL. Michael Huyghue, the UFL’s commissioner, says the league would be happy to have him:

“We would just place him in the best situation. For us, Terrelle Pryor can be a great opportunity. There’s the question that, at 6 feet 6, is he a quarterback? Is he a wide receiver? He can get a chance in our league to see where his future is. Plus, we have coaches in this league who know how to develop quarterbacks.”

Pryor’s attorney also added that his client is done cooperating with NCAA investigators:

“He doesn’t need a reason (to talk to them). He’s no longer a student-athlete. They’re not going to give him or any other student-athlete any due process rights to speak of, so he’s moved on.”