After five Ohio State players were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, many Buckeye fans were wondering about the status of Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Boom Herron, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas for next week's Sugar Bowl matchup against Arkansas. Earlier today, Tressel spoke to the media, saying the suspended student-athletes could compete in the Sugar Bowl if they promised to return for their senior seasons. All five suspended players will suit up for the Buckeyes, meaning all five players have promised to return for their final year. 

In the short term -- this means Ohio State will be at full strength from the first possession of the game to the last during the Sugar Bowl. In the long term, it's conceivable that any of the five players could break their promise and enter the draft, but if these guys want to remain in good standing with the university and Buckeye Nation as a whole (and try to restore their reputation), they should keep their word. 

Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas was named to his fourth straight AFC Pro Bowl team on Tuesday.

The Browns announced that the 4^th year tackle from Wisconsin is the first Browns player since Frank Minnifield to play in four straight Pro Bowls.

Peyton Hillis, offensive linemen Alex Mack and Eric Steinbach were named second alternates, while kick return specialist Josh Cribbs special teamer Ray Ventrone and fullback Lawrence Vickers were selected as third alternates. Rookie defensive back Joe Haden was named a fourth alternate.

For the Browns full press release on the Pro Bowl selections click here.

The hits just keep coming for Cleveland sports fans. Just six months after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost LeBron James to the Miami Heat via free agency comes word that Jawad Williams has been waived by the team a few weeks before his 2010-2011 salary would have been guaranteed.

The team also assigned Samardo Samuels to the NBADL team in Erie. Clearly Cleveland’s loss is Erie’s gain.

While many Cleveland fans are hoping Browns coach Eric Mangini gets Mike Singletary'd at the end of the season, there are others hoping he gets to stick around for another year. Ravens coach John Harbaugh falls in the "don't fire him!" category. 

After Baltimore defeated the Browns 20-10 yesterday, the Ravens head coach talked about Eric Mangini and the browns, "This is a legitimate football team. How many close games have they played in? You just go down and look at the scores and you’re like, ‘oh my goodness.’" He continued by mentioning Cleveland's convincing victories over New England and New Orleans, two of the NFL's best teams. As a final endorsement, he added, "I think they’re really well-coached on both sides of the ball and special teams."

Later in his postgame remarks, he mentioned how the Browns team looked very focused and highly motivated during pre-game warmups. The conversation turned toward Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who ran for 144 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries in their first matchup against the Ravens in week three. Linebacker Terrell Suggs said that the Ravens voted for Hillis to go to the Pro Bowl. "Yes, we did vote for him for the Pro Bowl,'' Suggs said. "I think he's one heck of a back."

With the frigid winter cold gusting off Lake Erie and filling the streets of Cleveland, it's nice to feel the warm, tender love that the Baltimore Ravens feel toward the Browns.

NOT. 

Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey, Dan Herron, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas have been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for violations of NCAA rules related to their selling of rings, university apparel, and other items. All will be eligible to play in the Sugar Bowl.

OSU self-reported the violations about two weeks ago, and asked for reinstatement for the bowl game. The players will have to make donations to charity in the amounts of the value of the merchandise. Pryor, for example, will have to repay $2500 for selling his Big Ten Championship ring and his 2008 Gold Pants (the award for beating Michigan)

Obviously, this will affect the players decisions about whether or not to return to OSU for their senior seasons (all five have one year of eligibility remaining for 2011)

Excuse me while I go get sick.

EDIT: OSU Athletic Director said "the sanctions are severe" and said OSU will appeal the penalties to the NCAA. He also said  "These young men went into these decisions with the right intent, to help their families.”

Here's Tim May's report in the Dispatch

Colt McCoy sat out of practice today (Wednesday) with an undisclosed illness.  Sources described it as the flu, or, more specifically, flu-like symptoms, since we all know that it could seem like the flu and really be the Bubonic Plague.

How this will affect his availability for the Ravens game is unknown.  One would hope that Colt wouldn't let a little thing like the flu (or the plague) keep him out of the game, especially when someone like Brett Favre would probably take the field even if his leg had just been bitten off by a tiger.

One thing is for certain - it can't HELP.

After the devastating news that CB Eric Wright was done for the year, the Browns certainly didn't need to hear that Scott Fujita was joining him on IR.

Fujita (Fu-jee-tah, not Fu-hee-tah) had been playing great ball when he got hurt in the Jets game, a knee injury that was supposed to keep him out several weeks, but not the year.  Guess that prognosis was wrong.  Which is unfortunate, since his absence has been keenly felt on Run Defense.

Fujita & Wright were replaced by Travis Ivey - a DT from the Practice Squad - and Steve Octavien - some LB I've never heard of before.  But he's got a pretty cool last name, so he should be able to replace Fujita admirably in at least that department.

When the Browns take the field against Baltimore this week and Pittsburgh next week, Eric Wright will not be in uniform. The third-year cornerback was placed on injured reserve yesterday after injuring his knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 19-17 loss to Cincinnati. 

Wright isn't the Browns most popular player, but one that will be missed in a shaky secondary. Fans and media blamed him for many of Cleveland's fourth quarter breakdowns, including the loss to Baltimore and the overtime loss to the New York Jets. After the Jets game, Wright lost his starting spot to first year cornerback and budding star Joe Haden. Wright was splitting time with Sheldon Brown at the other cornerback spot, but with Wright's injury, Brown's role in the defense should increase. 

Wright isn't expected to have surgery on the knee, but the recovery time for his particular injury will take longer than the two weeks left on Cleveland's schedule. 

Jordan Bastian is reporting, and the Indians official website confirms, that the Indians have re-signed OF Austin Kearns to a one-year deal worth at least $1.3M. Kearns, who hit .272 in 84 games with the Tribe last year, will likely be a fourth outfielder or potentially platoon with Michael Brantley. With Brantley's ability to play CF, the OF looks like it is pretty much set with Choo, Sizemore, Brantley, and Kearns.

However, if the plan is to use Kearns against LHP to spell Brantley or Sizemore, the 30-year-old Kearns hit just .252 against LHP in 2010. Also, his offensive statistics are skewed by his .373 average through April. After that, he hit no higher than .258 for a single month. Kearns hit just .246 at Progressive Field last year.

The Indians now have achieved one of their offseason objectives- adding a RH bat. Next on the ledger will either be a better solution at 3B or a veteran starting pitcher for the young, inconsistent rotation.

In other Indians news, the team signed Travis Buck to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.

Following up on Dan Wismar's earlier wire report:

A 3:00 p.m. press conference has been scheduled at Kent State University, where Kent athletic director Joel Nielsen will announce the hiring of Ohio State assistant head coach/receivers coach Darrell Hazell as the Golden Flashes’ 20th head football coach, replacing Doug Martin.

Hazell has been with Jim Tressell and the Buckeyes since 2004, and has been coaching in the collegiate ranks for 25 years. He was one of four candidates for the position after Nielsen narrowed the field of candidates down last week. He was selected over Alabama receivers coach Curt Cignetti, Texas receivers coach Bobby Kennedy and Kent defensive coordinator Pete Reskas.

Hazell played college football at Muskingum.