On Thursday, the NFL announced former Ohio State quarterback Tyrelle Pryor will be eligible for the league’s supplemental draft on Monday, but with a catch – he has to serve a five-game suspension at the beginning of his NFL career. The league basically took the unprecedented step of making Pryor serve out a college suspension in the pros, which has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Pryor’s agent Drew Roesnhaus though isn’t complaining — he’d rather have the OSU star sit five games than have to wait an entire year before getting his first NFL contract. “We accept [the five-game ban] voluntarily,” said the agent. “It’s a small price to pay for him to have a chance to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.”

“This raises so many questions, and I think players are rightfully concerned,” said Cleveland Browns linebacker and players union executive committee member Scott Fujita.

The NFL justified the suspension by saying Pryor “made decisions that undermine the integrity of the eligibility rules for the NFL draft,’’ citing hiring an agent in violation of NCAA rules and failing to cooperate with the investigation that cost OSU coach Jim Tressel his job this spring, shortly before Pryor decided to forgo his senior season.

Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has a pretty good take on the shaky ground the NFL is on with this decision:

The NFL isn’t punishing Pryor for breaking rules. The league is punishing Pryor for not breaking enough of them.

The supplemental draft is, practically by definition, the rulebreaker’s draft. Get kicked out of school, fail out of school, lose your eligibility for taking money from an agent, have the NCAA end your career – do any of that after the January deadline to declare for the regular draft and the league will take you.