COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There was no live action, but Terrelle Pryor still didn't have any complaints about his return to Ohio Stadium.
Still serving a five-year ban for his role in a scandal that produced NCAA sanctions and prematurely ended his career with Ohio State, Pryor was warmly received as a member of the Cleveland Browns during a scrimmage on his old stomping grounds and had plenty to feel good about before heading back to the grind of training camp in his bid to make the Browns as a wide receiver.
Despite his injured hamstring, Pryor was able to work out on the field and even dusted off his throwing arm to help warm up some wideouts before the scrimmage. He had a chance to shake Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer's hand in the end zone and have a short conversation about Ohio State's upcoming quarterback battle between J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones.
And when the Browns were done playing Friday night -- in front of a crowd of 50,000 -- a throng of fans waited for him to make his way around the stadium and sign autographs, including a handful who brought personalized Ohio State jerseys with his name and old No. 2 on them.
"It was a blessing," Pryor said. "I had a chance to talk to a lot of people I know, and I had a chance to meet a great coach in Urban Meyer. I also got to step on the field a little bit and run around, so I had a good day.
"I love this place."
Pryor was only able to return because Friday's scrimmage wasn't a school-sanctioned event. But that hardly seemed to bother him, and he focused on the positive memories and all the games he won for the Buckeyes.
He suggested there were "no bad times" despite being pressed into the NFL's supplemental draft in 2011 after failing to cooperate with the NCAA investigation into players exchanging memorabilia for tattoos.
Fans screamed his name and begged for his new receiving gloves; one repeatedly called him a "Buckeye for life" before he ultimately made his way up a tunnel that didn't exist the last time he was on campus and into the locker room before heading back up the interstate to Berea with the rest of the Browns.
And while he's still serving the rest of a ban that is set to expire next year, Pryor made it clear he wants to come back again as long as Ohio State will have him.
"Yeah, absolutely," he said. "It's going to be on Coach Urban if he wants me to, but I love this place. I asked him about the quarterbacks, how they were doing and stuff like. I'm excited as well to see the progression of those guys, as well.
"For me to come back, it's a blessing for me to come back and to be around all this. We had a lot of successful games here. There were a lot of memories here."
A year before he was expected to be allowed to, Pryor had the chance to make a few new ones, sore hamstring and all.
