Terrelle Pryor and a Brief History of NCAA Athletes Selling Things

Question: When can't you sell something someone gave you? Answer: When you're a college football player.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor and four of his Ohio State University teammates have been suspended by the NCAA for the first five games of next season for selling football memorabilia and exchanging autographs for tattoo parlor discounts.

Pryor, running back Daniel Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive lineman Mike Adams and defensive end Solomon Thomas must also pay from $1,000 to $2,500 each to charity, depending on the value of the items each sold. All five will still be allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl next month.

The suspensions are just the latest controversy in the ongoing debate over whether college athletes deserve to be paid beyond the athletic scholarships most receive. Most recently, Heisman Trophy winners Troy Smith and Reggie Bush were punished for accepting money and gifts from school boosters, but the issue of selling personal property first came to a head back in 2003, when nine football players at the University of Georgia were suspended by the school for selling their 2002 SEC Championship rings on eBay.

Defensive lineman Kedric Golston, one of the nine players cited, was also found to have sold his jersey from the Sugar Bowl on the site. At the time, college athletes were allowed to sell rings as long as they received no more than fair-market value in exchange. (The Georgia players were paid roughly three times the rings' value.) That same season, ex-Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson was embroiled in controversy over allegedly selling his autograph while at the school.

The scandals prompted a new NCAA rule: Student-athletes would no longer be allowed to sell team memorabilia.

The issue faded into the background during the years of the Reggie Bush investigations but popped up again in September, when star Georgia receiver A.J. Green received a four-game suspension for selling his Independence Bowl jersey. (At the time, Georgia was selling 23 different versions of Green's jersey at prices up to $150, a fact that Surge Desk brings up for no reason whatsoever.)

Now, Pryor and the rest have been suspended for selling Big Ten championship rings, jerseys and a pair of special "gold pants." But there's an interesting wrinkle: Pryor, Herron, Posey and Adams are all eligible for the NFL Draft in the spring. After USC coach Pete Carroll escaped to the pros last offseason to avoid imminent NCAA sanctions against his school, could anyone blame these players for following his lead?

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