It’s All About The Green: Why The NCAA Punished Pryor & Co. The Way They Did

By now, most college football fans have gotten wind of the news. Five Ohio State Buckeyes players, headlined by Terrelle Pryor, will be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 regular season for what the NCAA cites as “improper benefits”. Those improper benefits would be receiving tattoos from a local tattoo shop in Columbus, in exchange for autographs and other memorabilia. While the news itself is shocking enough, many people question why the NCAA would suspend the players for next season, instead of for the upcoming Sugar Bowl.

To answer that question, all you need to do is pull out your wallet and look inside (unless you’re broke). Money is driving the NCAA’s decision to suspend these players for next season instead of the Sugar Bowl, just like it did in the decision to rule Cameron Newton eligible.

Similar to the Cam Newton case, the NCAA knows that it can make a lot of money off of the Buckeyes’ Sugar Bowl matchup against Arkansas on January 4th. If the NCAA were to suspend these players for the bowl game, it would essentially be sending dollars up in flames. The NCAA, sponsors, and even the universities themselves would all be affected negatively by a decision to suspend these players for the Sugar Bowl. They’d be taking a hit where it hurts the most; the wallet. It would be assumed that the Buckeyes would be at a severe disadvantage without the five players being eligible to play in the game. While fans of the two schools playing would still be interested, many casual fans tuning in to see a Pryor vs. Mallett showdown would likely reconsider their decision to watch the game. Does Bauserman vs. Mallett sound even close to as intriguing if you’re not a Buckeye or Razorback fan?

The NCAA knows that by suspending these players for next season, it is preserving all of the potential money that it can make off of the Buckeyes. Who cares about next year, right? If Ohio State does in fact struggle without Pryor leading the team, another team will take the Buckeyes place in a BCS bowl, and the NCAA will make its money off of that other team. In other words, as a current BCS participant, the Buckeyes mean money now.

The NCAA’s decision in this case also gives credibility to the speculation that Cam Newton was given a free pass because Auburn is playing for the national title. Had Auburn been a mediocre team at 8-4, chances are the NCAA would’ve taken action against Newton.

When you think about the amount of money that is at stake, it doesn’t seem weird that the NCAA decided to take the route of suspending these players for next season instead of this year’s bowl game. Money talks, and the NCAA has proven twice now this season that they are listening.

– K. Becks