Lost amongst the chatter over an upset scare for Ohio State (who just narrowly beat Navy 31-27) was quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s support for Eagles quarterback and convicted dog fighter Michael Vick.  Pryor wore eyeblack adorned with the quarterback’s name. Then he went and said this, as reported in a Deadspin article:

“Not everybody’s the perfect person in the world. I mean everyone kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me, whatever. I think that people need a second chance, and I’ve always looked up to Mike Vick, and I always will.”

Yes, this is what he actually said. While one can argue that Pryor was probably preoccupied with nearly having his national title chances ending on opening weekend, and that perhaps he doesn’t have the advantage of being naturally well-spoken – he straight-up said “everyone kills people.” And then elaborated – saying “murders people.” He felt the need to elaborate with a synonym.

The spirit of his message – put in a much more articulate way- is simply that Michael Vick’s accomplishments as an athlete shouldn’t necessarily be negated by a series of bad decisions, because everyone makes mistakes.

But holy crap, does this give Penn State fans material for signs and heckling. Things like the Pryor Crier Project were being planned even before he painted this bull’s-eye on his chest. Get creative, folks – I’d love to see a group of people dressed as Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, and The Unabomber show up to the Nov. 7th game with a MURDERERS 4 PRYOR banner.

[Picture Courtesy of Larry Brown Sports]