Ohio State Buckeye Players Eyeing NFL Supplemental Draft?

With Jim Tressel out at Ohio State, there are rumblings that five of his (former) star athletes may be following him out of town.

According to College Football Talk, five Buckeye players: quarterback Terrelle Pryor (pictured left with Tressel), offensive tackle Mike Adams, tailback Dan Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey and defensive end Solomon Thomas may opt for the NFL supplemental draft now that Tressel is gone.

The five Buckeye players each face five-game suspensions next season after it was revealed they sold personal memorabilia in exchange for tattoos and cash.

In a report by CBS' Len Pasquarelli, sources told him the five players are expected to reconsider their supplemental draft stock, saying the departure of Tressel “put some things up in the air.”

Tressel resigned Monday a midst growing scandal and an ongoing NCAA investigation involving the Ohio State football program. Tressel admitted covering up details about the five Buckeye players and their dealings with a local tattoo parlor owner. Tressel spent ten seasons at Ohio State, winning 106 games and a national championship.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that if any of the five players decide to apply for the NFL's supplemental draft, the NFL lockout would not prevent them from being drafted. According to Schefter's report, the supplemental draft will be held sometime in July, if there are applicants. So far, there have been no applicants.

In a supplemental draft, teams submit picks to the league and if their bid is the highest, they receive the player but lose the corresponding draft pick in the next draft.

ESPN used last year's supplemental draft to help explain the formula: the Chicago Bears picked Brigham Young running back Harvey Unga and the Dallas Cowboys selected Illinois defensive end Josh Brent. Both players were selected in the seventh round, meaning the Bears and Cowboys forfeited their seventh-round picks in the 2011 NFL draft.

Ray Lewis: NFL Lockout Will Lead to Rise in Crime

The FBI just released it's violent crimes stats and in the United States the number of murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults dropped 5.5 percent in 2010 compared to 2009.

However, if Ray Lewis' theory is correct, those numbers will be on the rise soon and he's blaming the NFL lockout. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker believes crime will rise if the lockout continues into the season.

"Do this research if we don't have a season -- watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game," Lewis said in an interview with with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio.

Lewis' explaination as to why he thinks crime rates will increase without football, "There's nothing else to do," he said.

Lewis isn't just talking about professional football players getting arrested, he predicts fans will become more violent because the violence they're used to seeing every Sunday will be eliminated.

"There's too many people that live through us, people live through us," Lewis said. "Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I'm not talking about the people you see all the time."

While Lewis' theory is interesting, he doesn't have the stats to back it up. However, the opposite perspective -- that football leads to more violence -- does have some legs. In 2009, a study revealed that from 1995-2006 when an NFL game ended in an upset, the home state of the losing team saw a brief uptick in domestic violence.

The NFL lockout is now in its 69th day, and a resolution appears nowhere in sight.

Minnesota Vikings Stadium Debate Likely Headed For Special Session

When the Minnesota Legislature ends its 2011 session on Monday, the Minnesota Vikings will almost certainly not have a new stadium deal in place. However, the Associated Press is reporting a Vikings stadium bill is likely destined for a special session.

The Vikings stadium issue has been put on the back burner due to the state's massive budget deficit. Right now, there's about a $1.8 billion gap in how to resolve that deficit.

Governor Mark Dayton can call a special session and force legislators to stay as long as it takes to get the work done.

The Vikings have offered to contribute $407 million to a $1 billion stadium project in Arden Hills. The team is hoping the state will pick-up $300 million of the project's cost.  

The Minnesota Legislature has until midnight Monday to work out a budget and stadium deal. A special session will be called if they fail to meet that deadline.

The Minnesota Vikings Metrodome lease is set to run out at the end of the 2011 season.

2011 NFL Rumors: Kyle Orton on Minnesota Vikings 'Radar'?

On the same day Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder said it's his goal to be the week one starter for the Vikings, rumors are flying about another quarterback coming to town.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton is "on radar" for the Vikings once the lockout is lifted. Mortensen made the comment via Twitter, but gave no specifics of a possible deal between the two clubs.

Orton, who turns 29 in November, is expected to be in high demand once the lockout ends. By adding Orton to their roster, the Vikings would be able to bring along Ponder at a slower pace.

Otron is expected to battle Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn for the starting job in Denver this season. Orton is set to make $8.8 million next season and will be entering the final year of his contract.

Orton has spent six seasons in the NFL, including the last two with the Broncos. He spent his first four seasons with the Chicago Bears. In 2010, Orton started 13 games for the Broncos before being replaced by Tebow. He finished the season with 3,653 yards passing, 20 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.