PITTSBURGH - There's plenty of blame to go around for the mess with the Ohio State football program.
A lot of it is being dumped on quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who made enemies everywhere when he rejected every other school that had been recruiting him.
It's easy to make the jokes about Pryor supposedly having a bigger fleet of vehicles than some cab companies, but let's remember one thing:
Pryor is a couple of weeks away from turning 22.
Yes, he's an adult, but he hasn't been one for long.
What of deposed coach Jim Tressel, 58, and definitely old enough to know better?
What of the sad enablers, who were willing to trade cash and other favors for game-used equipment that could be sold on the collectors' market?
Pryor made mistakes, and he's facing a half-season suspension, which he deserves.
But it's easier to understand impulsive, wrong-headed decisions made by 22-year-olds.
It appears that Tressel withheld information and was generally dishonest in addressing the issues with the program.
Only after it rose to a cover story on Sports Illustrated did Ohio State apply enough pressure to get Tressel's resignation.
Pryor and the players were trading equipment and awards for tattoos; Tressel was covering up to protect his $3.5 million a year job.
Pryor, at the moment, is still at Ohio State. Tressel is not.
That seems about right.
Pour it on
Interesting juxtaposition at West Virginia University, where stadium beer sales have been approved at the same time that coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen's drinking habits have become an issue.
First on tap is the beer sales. Athletic director Oliver Luck has surely seen the numbers and knows there's a bundle to be made in selling beer at the accepted stadium markup.
Nachos might carry a slightly higher profit margin (cheap chips doused with a yellow goo), but people generally don't buy six of them during a three-hour game.
Instead of getting loaded in the parking lot with a store-bought $13.99 case, fans will now buy their beer at $8 a pop inside the stadium.
Considering beer is an all-purpose beverage (equally good for celebrating and mourning), West Virginia can't lose.
Meanwhile, word is that Holgorsen was on Pitt's hot list for a new football coach, and athletic director Steve Pedersen was intrigued.
But any thoughts of hiring him were supposedly dashed by chancellor Mark Nordenberg, who didn't like the profile that had been compiled on Holgorsen.
Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com
