COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday that quarterback Terrelle Pryor included a tribute to Michael Vick on his face during the Buckeyes' opener because "there's probably not a more compassionate human being in the world than Terrelle."
In Saturday's 31-27 win over Navy, Pryor had lettering on his eyeblack patches in honor of his sister and also Vick. After the game, Pryor said he loved Vick and didn't think the NFL quarterback was getting a fair shake from people critical of his role in bankrolling a dogfighting ring.
Vick, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons and now with the Philadelphia Eagles, spent 18 months in a federal prison before being reinstated last month by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Some animal rights proponents have objected to Vick's reinstatement due to the brutality of dogfighting and because Vick and his accomplices tortured to death dogs that underperformed in fights.
Tressel said the reason Pryor wore the tribute to Vick was because he's such a kindhearted person.
"I guess you'd have to know Terrelle like I know Terrelle," Tressel said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. "There's probably not a more compassionate human being in the world than Terrelle. ... You would have to know him the way I know him to understand that he didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, to be insensitive to something that someone feels strongly about, that's just not him."
Tressel said Ohio State had no policy about what players could or could not paint on the black patches that some wear under their eyes.
A year ago, LB James Laurinaitis frequently had a Bible verse written on the patches on his cheeks.
"It's a little bit tough in this country to have too much of a policy on personal expression," Tressel said of controlling such statements.
Tressel is frequently described as a micromanager. But he said this was one area he had not considered controlling.
"I've got to be honest with you, I am a micromanager, but I haven't micromanaged that one, honestly," he said. Then he joked, "So I apologize, I'll get a little more hands-on."
In Philadelphia on Tuesday, Vick spoke to a group of high school students about his past and how much he regrets his behavior.
Vick told the students he tried to do the right things at school and at home, "but I had another side to me, and it was a dark side."
"My future was promising ... at some point, I got sidetracked. I started listening to my friends and doing some things that were not ethical and not right," Vick said.
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Tressel Lauds Pryor's Compassion
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday that quarterback Terrelle Pryor included a tribute to Michael Vick on his face during the Buckeyes' opener because "there's probably not a more compassionate human being in the world than Terrelle."
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NBC4i.com
Published: September 09, 2009
Published: September 09, 2009
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