Five members of the 2010 Ohio State football team are asking the NCAA to reinstate wins and records following the organization’s recent reversal on name, image and likeness rules.
Terrelle Pryor posted a letter -- signed by Pryor and other former Buckeyes including DeVier Posey, Daniel “Boom” Herron, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas -- on social media Tuesday saying the “Time has come … (to) get our wins back records back and legacy of @JimTressel5 back.”
In the letter, the teammates called the NIL changes a step in the right direction, and said that not allowing collegiate athletes to profit from their hard work was “unjust and unnecessary.”
"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."
According to WBNS-TV, the 2010 team, led by coach Jim Tressel, went 12-1 winning the Big Ten Championship and before defeating Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.
The NCAA removed the season from the record after the five players were found to have traded memorabilia for tattoos.
Pryor, along with ex-Buckeyes receiver Posey, running back Herron, offensive lineman Adams and defensive lineman Thomas, were suspended in December 2010 for the first five games of the 2011 season for selling items such as championship rings, jerseys and gold pants trinkets for beating Michigan, CBS reported. The players also received free or discounted tattoos from a local parlor.
In addition to suspensions, the "Tattoo 5" were forced to repay various amounts of money for the benefits they received, the CBS report said.
Tressel resigned in May 2011.
"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 letter said.
Pryor and the other players wrote that they look forward to telling their stories one day. They also said they'd like to see the "’Tattoo 5’ forever being a legitimate part of Ohio State’s glorious history.”
