The Big Ten. Ohio State. Players receiving gifts in exchange for football-related services/items. Big-time suspensions, right? No bowl game for those dastardly players? Not exactly.
Five Ohio State football players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, got five-game suspensions from the NCAA for trading autographed items for tattoos. The problem is, the suspensions do not include the Sugar Bowl, instead starting with the first (easy, out-of-conference) game next season. Even worse, all the players involved are juniors (read: they can go into the draft this year, avoiding all disciplinary action).
There's no doubt the NCAA panders to certain schools or conferences depending on the situation. Cam Newton wasn't suspended even though the rule explicitly states he should have been suspended. Why? Because the NCAA didn't want TCU in the National Championship Game. Again, why? Because TCU might have beaten Oregon, which would have completely turned the BCS world upside down. Besides, Cam Newton plays for Auburn, a team from a major conference.
While the Cam Newton fiasco is even more blatant than the situation with Ohio State, it's pretty obvious that the NCAA simply wants Terrelle Pryor and his cohorts to play in the Sugar Bowl. Otherwise, who would want to watch the Sugar Bowl between Arkansas and the Ohio State B-Team except Arkansas and Ohio State fans?
In the end, it's all about money. The Big Ten is not only an extremely rich (read: influential) conference, there are TV ratings, attendance, etc. to think about.
Of course, it could have been worse. If Texas had a few players trading autographs for tattoos, they probably would have gotten trophies instead of suspensions.
Hydra
6-4-3 double play... Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win!
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