Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor remains synonymous with the 2010 “Tattoo-Gate” scandal, where a group of Buckeyes was found guilty of selling autographed memorabilia in exchange for tattoos and cash. Ultimately, the domino effect from the saga led to Pryor withdrawing from the university in 2011, ending his career in Columbus under a cloud.
The NCAA suspended Pryor and his teammates for the first five games of the 2011 season, but they were allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl a few weeks later.
Terrelle Pryor Blasts “Corrupt” NCAA Over Sugar Bowl Suspension Logic
During last week’s segment of “The Certified Game” podcast, Pryor blasted the NCAA for suspending him and his teammates before briefly reinstating them for the Sugar Bowl due to ratings concerns.
“When the NCAA came in and they suspended me, right? This is how corrupt these mother f***ers is, they suspended us coming into the Sugar Bowl and then they saw the ratings were going down, they ended up coming back and said, ‘These guys can play,” Pryor said. “Why? Because we’re on the No. 1 stage in America at the time.
“These people are so shiesty though, all they’re thinking about is numbers. Nowadays, they pay these cats and that’s cool, I like to see it. I was out here selling my jersey, different things, signings and getting $10-15,000 underneath, but it’s like nowadays that’s in the open. We would have ate, but it is what it is.”
Pryor joined the Buckeyes as the No. 1 quarterback and No. 2 overall prospect in the country, according to ESPN. After initially committing to the Pittsburgh Panthers to play basketball, he decommitted and chose to join head coach Jim Tressel’s Ohio State program instead.
He led the Buckeyes to an 8-1 record as a freshman. In his storied Ohio State career, Pryor tallied 6,177 passing yards, resulting in 57 touchdowns and 26 interceptions, while adding 2,164 rushing yards, 17 scores, and two receiving touchdowns.
After withdrawing from the university in 2011, he was banned from the athletic department. He was subsequently picked in the third round of the 2011 Supplemental Draft by the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders), serving his five-game suspension in the NFL before starting his professional career in earnest.
Last year, Pryor filed a lawsuit against Ohio State, the NCAA, and the Big Ten for missed NIL opportunities during his college football career, arguing that as one of the most recognizable faces in the country, he had missed out on huge payments from the named parties.
His lawsuit for back pay was dismissed in July 2025 after a federal judge ruled that his claims fell outside the four-year statute of limitations for antitrust violations.
