Monday evening, the Columbus Dispatch reported that the NCAA and Ohio State were working on a separate investigation into whether quarterback Terrelle Pryor received improper deals from car dealerships.
By Wednesday, Pryor's mother, Thomasina, had come to her son's aid.
Prior to Monday's team meeting at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, media noted that Pryor rolled up to the facility in a black Nissan 350Z with temporary plates. The car, which is one of eight Pryor has been seen in during his time at Ohio State, raised eyebrows especially considering the aforementioned investigation.
But, according to the Columbus Dispatch, Pryor's attorney, Larry James, provided a bill of sale from Auto Direct showing Thomasina Pryor as the buyer. The car was purchased last week, had 80,102 miles on it and, after the trade-in of his previous black Dodge Charger, cost $11,435.06. Thomasina is making monthly payments on the car for the next 51 months.
Of course the first question is why someone would pay that much for a car with more than 80,000 miles on it, but the second is why didn't this come out sooner? Why did it take two days after the Columbus Dispatch story came out to actually produce a bill of sale that could have easily been produced the next day?
Regardless of the new evidence produced for this vehicle, the NCAA still made its way to Columbus to ask questions about several other cars Pryor had been spotted driving in past months.
The NCAA investigator spoke with Pryor and his mother, and James claimed that Pryor had used "three or four loaner vehicles" from the same dealer, Auto Direct Columbus, Inc., not the eight that has been reported.
James said Pryor needed the loaner vehicles because his original car was being serviced.
There's also the question of Pryor driving with a suspended license. And while that little nugget might not be of consequence to the NCAA, the fact that he was not able to provide insurance for the car he was driving when his license was suspended does raise some eyebrows and will surely be investigated further.
Pryor is already set to serve a five-game suspension at the beginning of the 2011 season for selling his memorabilia for tattoos and other goods. If he's found to have received further improper benefits -- like deals on cars -- that suspension could cost him the year and perhaps his career at Ohio State.
Paz Vega Rebecca Mader Eva Green Lauren Conrad Arielle Kebbel
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