Cleveland Browns: Terrelle Pryor and loyalty only going so far

Cleveland Browns fans may be angry Terrelle Pryor left, but he was looking out for himself and that is just the nature of the NFL.

It is natural for Cleveland Browns fans to be upset when a successful player leaves town to continue his career elsewhere. But reacting in extreme hate is just childish.

Terrelle Pryor is heading to Washington to play with Kirk Cousins in 2017 after not being able to come to an agreement with the Browns. Pryor’s team and the Browns have put out different narratives of the situation, but it doesn’t matter because he is gone.

But fans, especially in the pesky comments section on social media, have already declared Pryor to be a traitor. There is this odd sense of perceived loyalty in professional sports, which ignores the business aspect of the whole operation.

The NFL is a business. These players know their careers could end on any given play and they want to make as much money as possible now before they stop playing football, which is hopefully after a long and successful career, although that is rarely the case for the majority of the league.

By going to Washington, Pryor is betting on himself that he can raise his value after a year with Cousins throwing him the ball. Staying in Cleveland may have given him a bit more security in his finances, but he wanted to bet on himself and it’s hard to blame him. He should only improve with a legitimate NFL quarterback throwing him the ball.

Yet Browns fans expected him to stay because the team gave him a chance as a wide receiver. When no one else wanted him, the Browns let him learn the position and become a star in the city. But that still doesn’t mean he owes the team anything. As much as fans wish that was the case, it is just not how the business works.

Part of the hate toward Pryor seems to stem from his Ohio State days, which OSU “fans” still can’t seem to forget about. Just let it go.

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The Browns are not going to be a playoff team any time soon, although they are certainly on the right track toward being competitive again. Losing Pryor won’t derail the process, and fans should wish him the best as he gave it his all for the team in what was arguably the worst season in franchise history.