Terrelle Pryor probably isn't a murderer

I don't know how I forgot to post this over the weekend, but Terrelle Pryor offered up the postgame quote of the year on Saturday -- and it had absolutely nothing to do with Ohio State's win over Navy.

In case you didn't see the game, Pryor was wearing eyeblack stickers (partially visible above) with "Vick" written on them, which seemed a little odd. When asked about it after the game, this was Pryor's hilarious response:

"I just feel that, I mean, he made his mistake and ... not everybody’s the perfect person in the world. I mean everyone kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me, whatever."

Ummm ... what?!? I can't speak for Pryor, but I'm pretty sure that a large majority of us don't kill people. And was that an effort to defend Michael Vick? If so, he'd probably prefer that Pryor just kept his mouth closed. I don't think the Philadelphia Eagles will be deploying "Everyone kills people!" as a marketing slogan anytime soon.

What was even more absurd than Pryor's comment, though, was Yahoo writer Dan Wetzel's take on the situation. Wetzel completely flew off the handle Wednesday, claiming that Pryor's First Amendment right to freedom of expression is being destroyed as writers and fans criticize a victim of oppression:

They’ve forgotten that campuses are supposed to be marketplaces of ideas where a diversity of thought is encouraged. They’ve rejected that college is supposed to be a time for young people to find their voice.

OK, I'm all for "diversity" and allowing "young people to find their voice," and I have no problem whatsoever with Pryor supporting Vick and his return to the NFL. That's his right. But don't tell me about the First Amendment and then tell me I can't criticize an incredibly thoughtless comment like "everyone kills people."

I'm fairly sure that Pryor's intent wasn't to sound like a murderer -- words don't always convey the exact message intended -- but even if he's the nicest guy in the world (as Jim Tressel claims), when you're a big-time athlete in the media spotlight, you've gotta think before you open your mouth.