Pryor's cars being scrutinized by NCAA

Salesman denies doing anything illegal

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor arrives at a players only meeting, Monday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Terrelle Pryor arrived at a Monday meeting in a used Nissan 350Z sports car, which is valued at between $16,000 and $27,000.

COLUMBUS -- A day after coach Jim Tressel's forced resignation for lying about Ohio State players receiving improper benefits, the focus has shifted to the investigation of star quarterback Terrelle Pryor and his succession of used cars.

The salesman who put Pryor behind the wheel of several expensive vehicles said in a sworn affidavit released by Ohio State Tuesday that he didn't offer any special deals to Buckeyes.

"The deals that I did for Ohio State student-athletes were no different than any of the other 10,000-plus deals that I've done for all my other customers," Aaron Kniffin said in the statement.

Tressel's 10-year reign as coach of the Buckeyes ended in disgrace Monday as he was forced to step down for breaking NCAA rules. He knew players received cash and tattoos for autographs, championship rings, and equipment and did not tell anyone at Ohio State or the NCAA what he knew for more than nine months. NCAA rules -- and Tressel's contract -- specify that he must disclose any and all information about possible violations.

Pryor, the highest profile recruit of Tressel's 25-year coaching career, is one of five Buckeyes who have already been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for taking money and tattoos from local tattoo-parlor owner Edward Rife, who pleaded guilty last week to federal drug trafficking and money-laundering charges.

Ohio State confirmed that the NCAA continues to look into potential violations, including Pryor's cars.

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor arrives at a players only meeting, Monday.

"I can tell you that obviously you have an open investigation," Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch said. "The university and the NCAA are working jointly to review any new allegations that come to light. We're going to continue to do so until their investigation wraps up."

The Columbus Dispatch has reported that the NCAA and Ohio State are investigating more than 50 vehicle purchases by Buckeyes players, family members, and friends. Sports Illustrated, citing a source close to the investigation, reported that Pryor, who will be a senior this fall, might have driven as many as eight cars in his three years in Columbus.

Even though Pryor's vehicles have been a focal point of the investigation for weeks, that doesn't mean he has been riding a bicycle around the city.

Pryor drove up to a players-only team meeting on Monday night in a coal-black Nissan 350Z sports car with 30-day plates. The automotive information site Edmunds.com lists a recent, used 350Z, which it calls "a proper sports car for the everyman," as costing between $16,000 and $27,000.

Pryor was stopped three times for traffic violations over the last three years, each time driving cars that were owned by Kniffin or a Columbus used-car dealership where he worked, the Dispatch has reported. Kniffin, owner Jeff Mauk of Jack Maxton Chevrolet, Inc., and Jason Gross of Auto Direct Columbus, Inc., each provided affidavits to Ohio State officials early last month.

They said all transactions associated with an Ohio State athlete were cleared through Ohio State's NCAA compliance department.

"If the OSU compliance department approved the transaction terms, the transaction would be finalized and the vehicle would be delivered to the customer," Mauk said in his statement.

Even though the dealerships have dozens of signed jerseys on display in their showrooms, Kniffin and the dealerships said that was not part of any deal.

"OSU student-athletes weren't given any enticements to buy the car at my dealership," Kniffin said. "At no time did memorabilia come into play when it came time to negotiate a deal or buy a car. I was never given any memorabilia from a student-athlete in exchange for a car deal."

Late on Monday night, Sports Illustrated reported that the memorabilia-for-tattoos violations actually stretched back to 2002, Tressel's second season at Ohio State, and involved at least 28 players -- 22 more than the university has acknowledged.

After the article's release, athletic director Gene Smith issued a statement.

"During the course of an investigation, the university and the NCAA work jointly to review any new allegations that come to light, and will continue to do so until the conclusion of the investigation," he said. "You should rest assured that these new allegations will be evaluated in exactly this manner."