Terrelle Pryor's Defense of Vick Is Dangerous, Dumb

The eyeblack signage shouldn't bother us. If Terrelle Pryor wants to pay tribute to the quarterbacking skills of Michael Vick, to whom he has been favorably compared as a turf-burner and hip-slinger, then that is life in the 21st century. In America, a college athlete is entitled to reasonable freedom of speech, too, even via a "VICK" patch under his left eye during a football game.

"I always looked up to Mike Vick and I always will, because I still think he is one of the best quarterbacks," said the Ohio State star, a 20-year-old sophomore. "I love Mike Vick."

But where Pryor loses me -- and does a flat disservice to a university that prefaces itself with an unapologetically pompous "The" -- is when he supports Vick's repulsive issues off the field with a disturbing twist of rationale. Regardless of what he does the rest of his NFL career, Vick always will be known as the sicko who bankrolled an operation, Bad Newz Kennels, that mutilated dogs. He'll never be excused, yet in his unique way, Pryor is trying to pardon his idol anyway.

"I just feel he made his mistake, and I think he just needs more support," he said. "Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does -- kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance."

Everyone kills and murders people, huh? I haven't lately. Have you? Needless to say, this wasn't the way Pryor wanted to present himself to America before the biggest game of his young life, Ohio State's showdown against USC in Columbus. We should be breathlessly wondering whether his running and passing talents will beat as one Saturday night. Instead, the national focus is on his reckless commentary about an ex-con on a short professional leash. Pryor does represent a prominent Midwestern university that long has been the pride and primary national identity of Ohio. When he tries to play the Everyone Kills and Murders People Card in defense of Vick, who hasn't killed or murdered anyone as far as we know, it damages the school's reputation and that of a football program that sometimes has resembled an out-of-control factory.

"Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does -- kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance."
-- Terrelle PryorRemember Maurice Clarett? The academic fraud and police blotter involving numerous players? That's what I have to say to anybody who thinks coach Jim Tressel, he of the scarlet-and-gray sweater vest as popular in town as Woody Hayes bobbleheads, is a brilliant coach who could run for governor. He should have seen the Vick-related eyeblack, realized Pryor would be asked about it by the media and had a preemptive talk with the young man about what he might say concerning the world's most infamous dogkiller. Unfortunately, Tressel wasn't even aware of the eyeblack messages during the home game against Navy, which is peculiar considering Pryor's wide-ranging importance to the team.

"I'm not tall enough to see his eyeblack," said the coach, originally trying to make light of the matter.

By mid-week, he realized it was a raging national talk-show issue and chose to side with freedom of speech and the People Don't Know Terrelle defense. "It's a little bit tough in this country to have too much of a policy on personal expression, but it's unfortunate when that distracts from situations that were so extraordinary as the weekend we had," said Tressel, whose team barely survived a late rally by Navy in the famed Horseshoe, in part because of an ill-timed late Pryor interception. "And I guess you'd have to know Terrelle like I know Terrelle. There's probably not a more compassionate human being in the world than Terrelle. We were sitting watching film last night and a text came in from Terrelle and he said, 'Hey, Coach, we've got to pump up T-Wash [wide receiver Taurian Washington]. He's a little bit down. He dropped a ball or whatever.' If there's ever anyone that feels bad about something or downtrodden about something, he's the first one there with his arms around them. That's just the way he is.

"If someone came in and wanted to put 'Mom' on their eye patch or wrist, then I've got a tough time questioning that ... I'm a micromanager, but I haven't micromanaged that one, honestly. I apologize. I'll get a little more hands-on. But we live and learn."

We're not questioning the patches, especially when James Laurinaitis, the former OSU All-America linebacker now with the St. Louis Rams, used to wear "Jesus" and "Christ" under his eyes. For that matter, Pryor had the name of his sister, "Mika," under his other eye Saturday. No, what we're questioning is the Everyone Kills and Murders People Card -- and, in the short term, how the resulting criticism will affect Pryor's psyche heading into an enormous game. His talent level is staggering, of course, with Buckeyeologists raving about his improved passing since last year. If he can improve his throwing mechanics and accuracy, you're looking at a future Heisman Trophy winner and possibly the next great NFL quarterback. Because no one is going to stop Pryor when he's running in the open field, and no one is going to stop his running backs when he's delivering option pitches. A year ago, Pryor played at USC but wasn't yet the starter when the Buckeyes were pummeled at the L.A. Coliseum. But he is a more complete player now, and knowing the problems Pete Carroll's defenses have had with mobile QBs such as Vince Young and Dennis Dixon, you wonder if Pryor will run all over the Trojan Men and a new set of linebackers.

"We've come so much further scheme-wise in that time," Carroll said of defending running quarterbacks. "We have changed so much over the years. We had to adjust. Everybody has trouble with them. It's the hardest thing to defend."

Just the same, Ohio State is the most visible symbol of a Big Ten conference that has embarrassed itself on the national level. With the Buckeyes laying eggs in national title situations, the league is 9-20 in its last 29 bowl games against BCS conference foes. After going 1-6 in the 2008 bowl season, the Big Ten doesn't look much better this year, with title darkhorse Illinois eating dirt in a lopsided loss to Missouri and OSU struggling with a service academy. This game largely will be decided by quarterbacks. At home, Pryor would seem to be the favorite over USC's true freshman, Matt Barkley, who looked solid at home last weekend against San Jose State but now enters one of college football's loudest and most intimidating dungeons.

"I don't care, they can bring 500,000 people," Barkley said. "I've got my guys. We could be playing in Alaska in the snow, and I have faith that we'll be able to win."

That said, it's all there for Pryor. Can he throw the ball well enough to foil Carroll?

"I've been pretty confident standing in the pocket," said Pryor, who went 14-of-21 for 174 yards and a 38-yard touchdown pass against the Midshipmen. "What I've learned was maybe to be an even better leader than how I want to be."

"I know, when you're a quarterback, that [interception] really puts a damper on how you feel about your performance but I thought, all in all, Terrelle did some very good things," Tressel said. "I thought he threw the ball well, and I thought he made good decisions."

To be the leader he wants to be, Terrelle Pryor will have to make good decisions on and off the field. He'll be with us for a long time, you figure, and has years to mature. But his first verbal fumble was a whopper.

And sometime soon, he should prepare an apology and a clarification. I can't support him for the Heisman until he does.