Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor grew up in Pennsylvania and a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he wanted nothing to do with the Steelers once he reached the NFL.
Pryor told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who first met Pryor when Pryor was a teenager, offered to select Pryor in the NFL's supplemental draft in 2011.
Ultimately, the Raiders used a third-round pick on Pryor in that draft. That means the Steelers had two shots at taking Pryor before he went to the Raiders.
"(Tomlin) said, 'Hey, I'll draft you if you want to play here,' " Pryor said. "But he gave me a story about when he was down in Tampa Bay, about a quarterback (Shaun King) that was there, and he ended up being in the same hometown. It was just hard for him; he ended up cutting out because of all the distractions. ...
Oakland Raiders' starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) looks to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first quarter at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) (Nhat V. Meyer/Staff file)
"I had to say no because, at a young age, I didn't want to be near home and have distractions around me."
Pryor grew up in Jeanette, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh. He also bolted town after a stellar high school career, accepting a scholarship to attend Ohio State, when he had his pick of colleges, including home-state hotbeds such as Penn State and Pitt.
MercuryNews.com
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