Another day, another athlete leaves N.C. State by “mutual decision.”
And you have to think there’s more – a great deal more – to this story as Russell Wilson has decided not to return to N.C. State, but to leave open the door for playing football somewhere else.
N.C. State announced in a news release that Wilson had requested, and been granted, the right to play at another school in the fall if he wished. Wilson, as a graduate, would be eligible elsewhere, just as Justin Knox did in basketball for Carolina last season.
“Russell and I have had very open conversations about his responsibilities respective to baseball and football,” Pack coach Tom O’Brien said in a statement. “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.
My staff and I thank him for his contributions as a member of Wolfpack football and to this University and wish him only the best in the future.”
Wilson, in a statement, said, “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.”
You can’t blame either side in this equation. O’Brien is a demanding coach who wants to build around his starting quarterback. Planning for Wilson means one type of offense; planning for Glennon another. And O’Brien has never seemed thrilled by the fact that Wilson missed spring practice.
Wilson, on the other hand, is a gifted football player who was spectacular last season despite playing baseball all summer. And you knew something was up if you read Chip Alexander’s excellent piece on Wilson in The News & Observer recently.
Alexander wrote, “Wilson was told that some scuttlebutt among N.C. State fans was that as a graduate, he could use his final year of eligibility and play at another school if he wanted. But could Wilson see himself playing football for any school other than N.C. State? That question was posed to him.
“‘Obviously, I love N.C. State football,” he said. “It’s been a bless’ing in my life, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
Ah, in other words, he dodged the question.
On Friday, Wolfpack fans got an answer.
By the way, an old trick in the media relations game is to release bad news on Friday. The thinking is that the news comes out late in the day, leaving the media little time to report the story, and by the time most reporters are back to work on Monday it’s old news. NCSU released the Wilson news very late in the work day Friday.
It’s disappointing Wilson didn’t have a more dignified end. N.C. State can be tight-lipped with the media, and he never spoke with the press after the season about his plans. But Wilson is a great guy who deserves a tremendous legacy at N.C. State. He’s one of the best players ever to wear Wolfpack red, and regardless of what he does, and where he plays, he deserves a spot of honor in Wolfpack lore.