Weekly BrutusReprot.com Writer's Q&A
Should football players be allowed to participate in
other sports while at Ohio State?
Bill Smith: Whatever sport grants the student the
scholarship should have primary say on what sports the student is allowed to
participate in. With that said, if a student wishes to participate in multiple
sports, he or she should be allowed to do so to the extent that it does not
interfere with studies or the primary sport's requirements. Perhaps the most
important part of college is finding out where we fit the best. That should
apply to sports as well as in the classroom.
Eric Geier: No, a player signs a scholarship to play one
sport and they should only be allowed to play that one sport.
Steve Patterson: The track season didn’t seem to interfere
with football this year but sports like basketball are going to overlap to a
large degree and be almost impossible for a player to do both. Ohio State
has been telling players that they recruit that the option to play both
football and basketball is there, but not one player has actually done it yet.
Lawrence Wilson wanted to do both. I believe Cameron Heyward wanted to be a
power forward on the team also, now Terrelle Pryor.
Ryan Leonardo: I would lean towards no. They didn’t give that
individual a scholarship to be committed to anything else except the respective
sport and academics.
Pete Quint: They used to all the time. In recent memory, John Lumpkin and Ricky
Dudley played both basketball and football for a time while Drew Carter ran
track. I know there are more. Individually, each athlete should decide for
him or herself whether or not one sport will interfere with another. But why
would you sacrifice being a star on one team to be an average player on two?
Do you see Terrelle Pryor ever playing for the Buckeye
Cagers (Basketball Team)?
Bill Smith: Pryor
will likely play for the basketball Bucks after the National Championship game
each of his 4 years in school (how is that for confidence?). The only problem
is that his natural position is probably point guard which requires the most
integration with the other players. He will therefore probably be no more than
a backup but will enjoy the experience. He has the athleticism to make it work.
Eric Geier: No, I think in the end he will realize that
football is his future and though basketball may be fun, he's not going to
excel at it like he can with football.
Steve Patterson: Unless he doesn’t participate in a couple
of months of football (not going to happen) I don’t see how he could find the
time for two sports and classes.
Ryan Leonardo: No, because of what was stated earlier. They didn’t
recruit him to play basketball, and it would be his choice if he decided to go
that direction. It should be his choice, but playing both sports could be
too much of a mental and physical load, not including being a full-time
student.
Pete Quint: No. The
football season is too long. If Pryor
joins the hoops team it would be in the middle of January and would only give a
month and a half of basketball. I don't
think Tressel or Matta would let him lose practice time going from one sport to
the other.