Response to “Fox Sports Exclusive: Pryor about sex, money, power”
With everything coming out in the media about Ohio State’s football program and the focus on the type of athlete the Buckeyes have attracted over the years, Fox’s Mr. Thayer Evans has provided an exposé on the type of person Terrelle Pryor really is.
The title of his column confused me at first, because I actually thought everyone wanted sex, money and power. Well perhaps everyone but the author himself. So I have to wonder, what is it that Mr. Thayer Evans strives for…world peace?
What kind of person must Pryor be to have been so obsessed with girls? Mr. Evans seems surprised that when he originally met Pryor a few years ago as a teenager he was quite interested in girls. My first thought is, are we all of the sudden is some alternative universe where this is strange? And my next question for Mr. Evans is: what kind of guy isn’t interested in girls at that age? Okay, I have one or two guesses and if that’s his personal situation I totally understand (no judgment), but I don’t think he should be so blind to ignore the fact that a fair amount of our male population is attracted to the opposite sex.
Can you imagine a young, football star being so consumed with himself? Mr. Evans observes that “Pryor’s focus consistently led back to one thing: himself.” Shocking, I know. But then again, what young, successful, over-achiever isn’t obsessed with him/herself? That’s what it takes to achieve the impossible and reach a dream that everyone wants. I’m not saying this is good or bad—but it is a reality and Mr. Evans’ observation is about as original and thought-provoking as the idea that models are obsessed with how they look.
Mr. Evans perhaps needs to be reminded of what courage means. He concludes that “If they [university president Gordon Gee and athletic director Gene Smith] had any courage, they would have dismissed Pryor.” One definition of courage states that it is “the confidence to act in accordance with one’s beliefs.” If Ohio State believes in standing by their players, even if it means suffering the consequences of having that player on their team and subject to NCAA requests, then how is that not courageous? It would have been much easier to just give into what the media thinks and behave how the outsiders see fit, but the fact remains that courage is not about doing what other people think is right.
Mr. Evans also finds shock and awe at Pryor’s desire for money. It’s rather fascinating that Mr. Evans has no appreciation of that fact that not only do we need money in our society, but that we also spend the majority of our waking hours making money. Furthermore, Mr. Evans seems to lack an understanding of people and motivation. Perhaps if Pryor had a trust fund, he wouldn’t be so consumed with that evil paper. And, if he could see my new pink Fendi platform sandals, perhaps he would completely understand why we all need money.
Yes, Pryor and the other Buckeyes did break the rules. And by the way, they are by no means the only players doing it. They do what many players do or at least consider doing if they have the opportunity. They just happened to get caught. And there should and will be consequences for their actions. But the media needs to get off of its high horse and stop acting like these guys are criminals or immoral. How dare you as “journalists” continue to judge them. This is why websites like Deadspin.com will eventually find dirt on you and post it on the Internet with the underlying question, “Who are you to judge?”
