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CFL suitors already in pursuit of Terrelle Pryor

Graham Watson

Terrelle Pryor has been gone from Ohio State for just about 24 hours, and already the Canadian Football League is courting him.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the Saskatchewan Roughriders have acquired the negotiating rights to Pryor to bring him to the Great White North.

Pryor announced Tuesday afternoon that he had no intention of returning to Ohio State for his senior year after being the center of an investigation into improper benefits. Later that evening, ESPN's "Outside the Lines" published a report stating that Pryor had received upwards of $40,000 a year for signed memorabilia.

But the rules broken in college matter little in the pros.

Upon leaving Tuesday, Pryor's lawyer, Larry James, said that his client would look into the NFL's supplemental draft, the Canadian league and possibly taking a year off to train and prepare for the 2012 NFL draft. Currently, there is no supplemental draft, but the NFL could open it up should Pryor, or another player, apply to be in it and the NFL's lockout issues had a resolution in sight.

So far, Pryor has not applied with the NFL and ESPN reported Wednesday that Pryor could start his career in the United Football League before making the jump to the NFL. Former Buckeyes star running back Maurice Clarett currently plays for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL.

While the Canadian Football League might not be Pryor's top destination, the Roughriders said he would be looked at strictly as a quarterback. The NFL projects Pryor as a wide receiver or tight end, so if he wanted to stay in his current position, Canada might be the way to go, eh?

James told Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman that Pryor would need until next week to decide what route he wishes to take. The NFL is still in a lockout and while the players and owners are meeting and things seem to be moving in a positive direction, the chances of anything being resolved within the next couple weeks is slim.

Pryor is going to end up playing professional football somewhere. But it's going to be up to him to decide whether he wants to wait for the NFL, which could possibly take another year, or get his professional career started immediately elsewhere.