Jojo Doria

Raiders Quarterback Terrelle Pryor will have to sit out longer than he would have wanted after the NFL upheld the five-game suspension of the Oakland Raiders new quarterback.

Commissioner Roger Goodell notified Pryor Friday that his appeal to overturn the suspension was denied.

In a statement released Friday affirming the suspension, Goodell said that Pryor's actions were "tantamount to a deliberate manipulation of our eligibility rules in a way that distorts the underlying principles and calls into question the integrity of those rules."

Goodell, heavily criticized for having overstepped his boundaries by suspending a player for something he did in college, heard the controversial Pryor's appeal on Sept. 15 during a hearing that lasted just over an hour.

Pryor and his agent had previously indicated they would not oppose the penalty the NFL imposed for the memorabilia scandal that got him in trouble at Ohio State.

The initial stand not to contest the NFL sanction was a condition to make the former Buckeyes star quarterback eligible for the supplemental draft.

Pryor inked a four-year contract with Oakland after he was picked in the supplemental draft.

He has already missed the first three contests of the season, and is eligible to be activated by the Raiders following their Week 5 clash at Houston on October 9.

Meanwhile, the NFL's latest ruling on the case is likely to be countered with a non-injury grievance filed by the NFL Players' Association on Pryor's behalf.

The said filing will be an attempt to recoup a portion of the money Pryor will lose by missing five games.

 

NFL 2011 - Raiders Quarterback Terrelle Pryor's Appeal Denied: Five-Game Ban Upheld