The depth of the relationship between former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and local businessman Dennis Talbott remains unclear, but they were close enough to play golf several times in the summer of 2009.
Those outings were noted by Regan Koivisto, general manager of Scioto Reserve Country Club in Powell, in multiple media reports yesterday. Attempts by The Dispatch to reach Koivisto last night were unsuccessful. He said the outings stopped after he contacted the office of coach Jim Tressel.
An ESPN story this week alleged that Talbott, who sells sports memorabilia, paid Pryor between $20,000 and $40,000 to sign items. Talbott and Pryor's attorney, Larry James, have denied the allegations.
But the golf outings show that Pryor and Talbott had a relationship. The summer of 2009 was when Pryor became interested in golf after watching Tiger Woods win the Memorial Tournament. Reports that Ohio State teammates accompanied Pryor on some of the outings could not be confirmed.
It's unclear whether the outings would constitute an NCAA rules violation.
If Ohio State officials were alerted, per NCAA protocols, it must not have been deemed serious enough to put Talbott on a blacklist, because he was issued a photographer's credential for all home games in 2009.
An athletic department spokesman said Talbott was not issued a credential for the 2010 home games, but he also wasn't put on a recommended banned list for road games. Talbott told The Dispatch earlier in the week that he was a sideline photographer for all four of those games.
Pryor, a junior, quit the team on Monday in light of a five-game suspension for violating NCAA rules and a new, ongoing investigation. Tressel resigned on May30.