Referring to themselves as the “Tattoo 5,” Terrelle Pryor and four former Ohio State football teammates are asking that their vacated wins be restored, along with their legacy in the program.
They want the 2010 season to be wiped clean.
In a letter released on social media, Pryor, DeVier Posey, Dan “Boom” Herron, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas made it clear they want their records reinstated despite their involvement in selling memorabilia more than 10 years ago.
The group is seeking retroactive restoration, to fall in line with the NCAA’s move to allow athletes to be compensated for the use of their image and likeness.
Pryor, the former Buckeyes quarterback and Jeannette product, posted the statement on Twitter.
The statement read, in part: “Now that fundamental right has been granted to a new generation of athletes. Now that they finally have the freedom to share in some of the millions of dollars they generate for their coaches, their institutions, their conferences and the NCAA as a whole, we would like to see our hard won accomplishments reinstated. Although this could never undo what we and our families endured for breaking rules that shouldn’t have existed in the first place, we believe reinstating and acknowledging the accomplishments of ourselves and our teammates would be a huge step in the right direction.”
The time has come @NCAA @OSU_AD @OhioStAthletics @Channel75live @DPo8 @BOOMHERRON1 #solomonThomas @AdamSchefter we should get our wins back records back and legacy of @JimTressel5 back and not looked past it! NCAA suspended us but let us play in the sugar bowl win vs Arkansas pic.twitter.com/pGpEvJCbx5
— Terrelle Pryor SR (@TerrellePryor) July 13, 2021
The five players were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season after allegations that they sold and traded memorabilia and autographs, some for tattoos.
As it stands, Ohio State does not recognize any team and individual records from 2010. That season, the Buckeyes went 12-1, shared the Big Ten title and won the Sugar Bowl under then-coach Jim Tressel.
Pryor, who left Ohio State soon after the turmoil and entered the NFL’s supplemental draft, never serving his suspension, believes sanctions against the five should be dropped.
The NCAA ruled that Pryor sold an award from the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, his 2008 Big Ten championship ring and a “gold pants” charm – a trinket given to Ohio State players when they defeat Michigan.
“We are calling for our school records and legacy to be restored so that Buckeye Nation can look at us with the same love and fondness that we’ve always had for them,” the statement said. “We look forward to one day telling our story and the Tattoo 5 forever being a legitimate part of Ohio State’s glorious history.”
