COLUMBUS (AP) — Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor says he sold a pair of his football pants for $3,000 to help his family pay rent and heating bills during a cold winter.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Pryor says he broke NCAA rules by selling the items so his sister and mother wouldn’t be cold but the NCAA “didn’t have any sympathy for me.”

Pryor, who left after starting three years to join the Oakland Raiders last season, is banned from contact with the OSU program for five years.

He said he sold the pants to help his family, but the NCAA also looked into sweetheart deals on cars and his role in other players getting in trouble for rules violations — including cash payments from a booster.