Terrell Pryor Foolishly Posts Cincinnati Bengals Minicamp videos to Twitter
By Julie Swartz
Terrell Pryor was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason to challenge for the backup quarterback position behind Andy Dalton. Nearly a month later, after the completion of minicamp, the Bengals cut him from the team, showing they are content with Dalton and AJ McCarron at the position.
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Pryor, since being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2011, has struggled to find an identity as a quarterback in the NFL. He has spent most of his career as a backup, and that saga continues. However, since being released, he has officially changed his position to wide receiver, and actually just signed with the Cleveland Browns. Perhaps that transition will work to his advantage in the league.
What didn’t work to his advantage was his foolish decision to post a Bengals minicamp video to Twitter early Monday after being signed by Cleveland. They were quickly removed within an hour of posting, but at that point, the damage was done.
It’s no wonder why the Bengals were upset by this. While reporters are allowed to be present at minicamps, they are not allowed to video any team drills once warm-ups and installation periods are complete. These videos clearly showed Terrell Pryor throwing passes during full team drills. This gives other teams, and the public in general, access to the Bengals practices which are supposed to be private. As reported by ESPN, a team source claimed, “I haven’t been around another player who has done that. By no means did we think a player would do something like that”.
“By no means did we think a player would do something like that.”
So my question is, was there some kind of motive behind his decision to post these videos? Was he trying to show off his arm so that other teams would consider signing him? Was it meant to be a little jab at the Bengals for cutting him? Or did he honestly have no clue that he wasn’t allowed to display that footage to the public? This is certainly up for debate, but I find it hard to believe that he, his agent, or the person filming were oblivious to the rules. After all, he’s been in the league for four years now.
All in all, regardless of his motives, it is a thoughtless act by Terrell Pryor that only draws negative and unnecessary attention to himself and the Cincinnati Bengals. It remains to be known whether further action or repercussions will result, but in my opinion, it absolutely should. The Bengals’ privacy was breached, which is simply unfair.