Russell Wilson, starting quarterback for the NC State Wolfpack, has been a two-sport star all his collegiate life, excelling on the football field while nurturing a professional baseball career on the side. He was last seen leading the 'Pack to a forgettable but decisive victory over West Virginia in last year's Champs Sports Bowl, and as it happens, that's the last you'll see of him suiting up in that capacity: An official university release went out Friday afternoon announcing that Wilson had cut ties with the football program to focus on baseball. Head coach Tom O'Brien made it sound as amicable as these things get:
Russell Wilson’s NC State Football Release: A Curious Case For Tom O’Brien
“Russell and I have had very open conversations about his responsibilities respective to baseball and football,” said O’Brien. “While I am certainly respectful of Russell’s dedication to baseball these last several years, within those discussions I also communicated to him the importance of his time commitment to NC State Football.”
Wilson, for his part, was gracious, but you kind of got the feeling there was something else going on:
It has become apparent that the time has come for the program to move on without me. [...] While my immediate plan includes playing professional baseball, I have not closed the door on football. With one more season of college eligibility remaining, I will continue to explore and consider all my options.
Over the weekend, the "something else" became more apparent, as Wilson gave an interview stating that he left the program not because of any preference for baseball over football, but because O'Brien didn't intend to (as Wilson saw it) give him a fair chance to compete with up-and-coming sophomore Mike Glennon for his own starting position. SB Nation's Backing the Pack is less than pleased with how this all turned out:
I’ve struggled with this whole issue for a while, and I think the mistake I’ve made is assuming some ambivalence on Russell Wilson’s part. In yesterday’s post I was trying to rationalize the decision for my own benefit, operating under the assumption that Wilson hadn’t made up his mind one way or the other, which would be a problem for the program. But it seems there was never any uncertainty about Wilson’s intentions.
Wilson will have one year of college eligibility remaining, should he choose to pursue additional football playing time elsewhere, so rev up your speculation engines for a long summer in Raleigh.
See More:
