IS ED RIFE MARKETING THE OHIO STATE BUCKeyes-RELATED MEMORabilia Collection?

It was discovered in December 2010 that Edward Rife, the proprietor of Fine Line Ink, had given money and discounted tattoos to Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor along with four other athletes. The players’ five-game penalties were to start the following season, but the NCAA declared them eligible for Ohio State’s Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas, 31–26. However, an examination of Jim Tressel’s email showed that he was aware of the issue beforehand, having received a tip from Columbus lawyer Christopher Cicero. Federal officials were pressing a narcotics and money laundering case against Rife, so he went to Cicero for help.

Rife was sentenced to 36 months in prison later that year for what the authorities claimed was an operation that distributed between 400 and 700 kilograms of marijuana. In June of 2011, Rife entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and one count of money laundering.

The rings and other prizes stayed in Rife’s possession because federal authorities were unable to establish if the OSU memorabilia was bought with money made from the sale of narcotics.

It’s unclear if Rife sold the souvenirs while he was incarcerated or earlier. Reverse image searches using TinyEye, Google, and other sites produced no results for the Fine Line Ink logo connected to the listing, supporting the theory that the seller is either Rife or someone closely related to Fine Line Ink.

Is it the Rife? Assuming he meets the requirements for good behavior and the Residential Drug Abuse Program he intended to enroll in while jailed, he is still probably months away from being released early.