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Home > Blogs > Buckeyes Beat > Archives > 2009 > January > 02 > Entry
Tressel shields Pryor from media day blitz
Ohio State can only hope quarterback Terrelle Pryor is as elusive Monday as he was at Fiesta Bowl media day Friday.
Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel took advantage of the change in the arrangements to keep Pryor away from the media as he prepares for a Fiesta Bowl meeting with Texas on Monday.
Pryor and center Mike Brewster, both freshmen, were the only starters from either team who did not attend after media day parameters changed this season when University of Phoenix Stadium, the game venue, was unavailable due to preparations for the Atlanta-Arizona NFL playoff game Saturday.
Media day was instead held at a meeting room at the Marriott Camelback Inn, not large enough to accommodate all the players.
“We want him doing more homework. That’s what we are here for. I hope he has a very nice visit after the game,” Tressel said of Pryor, who will start.
The BCS championship game mandates all starters attend media day, and the Fiesta Bowl has a similar policy.
“We like having the players accessible. They tell the story of the game. We always want to best promote the game,” Fiesta Bowl president John Junker said.
Junker said he only learned when Ohio State boarded the bus for the Camelback Inn that Pryor would not attend.
“We were asked to bring 30 players and we sent a list of players. I did get one call asking ‘Did you happen to miss any?’” Tressel said.
“And I said you might be talking in terms of Terrelle and Brewster because they are starters. They are freshmen. When we were counting to 30, there were 30 others that were afforded the opportunity to be here.”
Pryor was in meetings with the rest of the players not at media day, Tressel said.
“My feeling is, he probably had something that would be more impactful on our cause and that was to spend time in the meeting room,” Tressel said.
Pryor, who took over for Todd Boeckman as the starter in the third week of the season, spoke to the media after games during the regular season but was not available during the week.
“It is tough to be the starting center (Brewster). It is tough to be the starting quarterback. It is tough to be in your first year of having study hall and tutors and mentors and advisers and all different things,” Tressel said.
“When you can use some time elsewhere, we’ve just felt that that’s the growing process that we would use.”
It is similar to the way Tressel shielded running back Maurice Clarett in his true freshman season.
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