Why We Were All Wrong About Oakland Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor

Maybe fans of The Ohio State University will never forgive Terrelle Pryor. Maybe his name will never be cleared for a scandal that rocked one of the very best football programs in college football to its very core. 

Or maybe we were all wrong about former Buckeyes and current Oakland Raiders quarterback. Maybe, just maybe, the canvas that painted Pryor as the main villain in this entire process needs to be scrapped and redone. 

At the very least, Pryor is attempting to clean his image just a year removed from leaving the Buckeyes' football program for a spot in the NFL supplemental draft, where the late Al Davis made him his last ever draft pick. 

Talking with Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated, Pryor explained some of the transgressions at Ohio State, including the sale of memorabilia that netted the quarterback at least $3,000.

"The reason why I did it was to pay my mother's gas bill and some of her rent. She was four months behind in rent, and the [landlord] was so nice because he was an Ohio State fan. He gave her the benefit of the doubt and she said, 'My son will pay you back sometime if you just let me pay you back during my work sessions.' She ended up losing her job, and she and my sister lived there. Let me remind you it was freezing cold in November, December, and she's using the oven as heat. That's what I did as a kid. I was telling the NCAA, 'Please, anything that you can do. I gave my mother this so my sister wouldn't be cold, so my mother wouldn't be cold.' They didn't have any sympathy for me. It's not like I went there and bought new Jordans. It's documented."

Of course, paying his mother's bills doesn't account for the tattoos Pryor received as part of his compensation. It also doesn't explain where the $40,000 Pryor made signing autographs during his time at Ohio State. 

But his admission does give us a window into why Pryor knowingly broke collegiate rules.

Money has become a leading issue for college athletics, and it's hard to blame a 21-year-old kid for selling things he earned from a university making millions off things he helped provide. Ohio State had no problems making money off his talent on the field and his jersey in the bookstore, but the world comes crashing down on a poor family when a valuable asset makes some money on the side to help his mom heat her home.

Put in his shoes, most would do exactly what Pryor did. I include myself in that group.  

Given the context, all the vitriol and hate towards Pryor simply seems unjustified. 

Again, the context is very important. 

There were no drugs tied to Pryor. There was no on-field cheating. There was no scamming in the classroom or violence outside of it. This was all about the money and Pryor certainly paid the price for what he got caught doing at Ohio State.

Trotter's interview with Pryor shows a fragile psyche for Pryor post-Ohio State. After leaving for the NFL supplemental draft, Pryor missed most of training camp and the preseason and then had to serve a suspension from the NFL. 

It added up in a hurry for Pryor.

"It was extremely hard considering the circumstances. I couldn't be outside with the team, I couldn't meet with the team, I couldn't even get paid by the team during the suspension. It was hard. ... When I was finally cleared, I didn't want to bother the coaches because they were trying to get ready for games. It was kind of hard asking them for help, because I saw how stressed out they were during the season, which I totally understand. But it just killed me that I didn't know the stuff that I was supposed to know. That was the worst part. I also couldn't compete. That's what really killed me."

Pryor said he pondered his love for football after missing most of the Raiders' early season because of the draft and a five-game suspension.

"There was a point -- and I know it seems crazy -- but there was a point I was asking myself if I really loved this game anymore. That's where I was at [emotionally]. Throughout the whole season I wasn't playing, I wasn't getting no love toward me. I just felt some type of way. I started questioning myself, even though I shouldn't have. I was like, 'Do I even love this game? Do I want to play this game? Is this what I want to do?'"

Now that head coach Dennis Allen and GM Reggie McKenzie have taken over the Raiders franchise, Pryor has received a clean slate for his professional career. He's not guaranteed a roster spot for 2012 or beyond, but a fresh start is all Pryor could really ask for after a disastrous 18 months in the limelight.

And overall, more observers of Pryor should be willing to give him a clean slate for his "misgivings" in the past. 

He made mistakes, he knows he made them and he's now looking to move forward with his future. The picture Pryor paints now certainly doesn't appear very villainous from this chair.