The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

Pryor’s cars under NCAA investigation

A day after coach Jim Tressel’s forced resignation for lying about Ohio State players receiving improper benefits, the focus has shifted to the investigation of star quarterback Terrelle Pryor and his succession of used cars.

The salesman who put Pryor behind the wheel of several vehicles said in a sworn affidavit released by Ohio State on Tuesday that he didn’t offer any special deals to Buckeyes.

“The deals that I did for Ohio State student-athletes were no different than any of the other 10,000-plus deals that I’ve done for all my other customers,” Aaron Kniffin said in the statement.

Tressel’s 10-year reign as coach of the Buckeyes ended Monday as he was forced to step down for breaking NCAA rules. He knew players received cash and tattoos for autographs, championship rings and equipment and did not tell anyone at Ohio State or the NCAA what he knew for more than nine months. NCAA rules — and Tressel’s contract — specify that he must disclose any and all information about possible violations.

Pryor, the highest profile recruit of Tressel’s 25-year coaching career, is one of five Buckeyes who have already been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for taking money and tattoos from local tattoo-parlor owner Edward Rife, who pleaded guilty last week to federal drug trafficking and money-laundering charges.

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
Thank you for subscribing!

Ohio State confirmed that the NCAA continues to look into potential violations.

“I can tell you that obviously you have an open investigation,” Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch said Tuesday. “The university and the NCAA are working jointly to review any new allegations that come to light. We’re going to continue to do so until their investigation wraps up.”

The Columbus Dispatch has reported that the NCAA and Ohio State are investigating more than 50 vehicle purchases by Buckeyes players, family members and friends over the past. Sports Illustrated, citing a source close to the investigation, reported that Pryor, who will be a senior this fall, might have driven as many as eight cars in his three years in Columbus.

Even though Pryor’s vehicles have been a focal point of the investigation for weeks, that doesn’t mean he has been riding a bicycle around the city.

Pryor drove up to a players-only team meeting on Monday night in a coal-black Nissan 350Z sports car with 30-day plates. The automotive information site Edmunds.com lists a recent, used 350Z, which it calls “a proper sports car for the everyman,” as costing between $16,000 and $27,000.

Pryor was stopped three times for traffic violations over the past three years, each time driving cars that were owned by Kniffin or a Columbus used-car dealership where he worked, the Dispatch has reported. Kniffin, owner Jeff Mauk of Jack Maxton Chevrolet, Inc., and Jason Gross of Auto Direct Columbus, Inc., each provided affidavits to Ohio State officials earlier this month.

They said that all transactions associated with an Ohio State athlete were cleared through Ohio State’s NCAA compliance department.

“If the OSU Compliance Department approved the transaction terms, the transaction would be finalized and the vehicle would be delivered to the customer,” Mauk said in his statement.

Even though the dealerships have dozens of signed jerseys on display in their showrooms, Kniffin and the dealerships said that was not part of any deal.

More to Discover
ILLordle: Play now