Wilson Intends To Sign With Rockies But Will Continue To Play Football
N&O:
Russell Wilson plans to play both college football for N.C. State and professional baseball in the Colorado Rockies' minor-league system.
Wilson, who was taken in the fourth-round of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday, said he will return to N.C. State for his junior season in football but only after spending the summer in the Rockies' organization.
"They know my situation," Wilson said. "They know I love football. That's why they drafted me because they like me. We will continue to talk and figure this thing out."
Wilson has played both football and baseball at N.C. State. If he signs with the Rockies, as he said he intends to do, his college baseball career would be over. His college football career would also appear to be over after the 2010 season, despite the fact that he has two seasons of football eligibility left.
Wilson and the Rockies haven't worked out all the details yet, about where and when Wilson will report this summer. There have been no contract talks at this early stage.
"We'll figure that out down the road," Wilson said. "None of that has been discussed yet. I'll put all of that in the Lord's hands and see where it leads me."
Wilson called head football coach Tom O'Brien immediately after he was drafted to let the coach know he planned to return when practice begins on Aug. 3. They talked on multiple occasions during the day, as Wilson prepared to return to his hometown of Richmond, Va., to spend a few days with his family.
"There are a lot of things that have to be discussed, but one thing I know about Russell is he wants to play football and he is set on what he wants to do," O'Brien said. "We have to get all [the details] ironed out. We talked today. He has no agent, he's signed no contract, he's taken no money. Those are issues that have to be resolved.
"But I don't think there is any question, based on several conversations this afternoon, that he intends to play football."
Never overreact before the Russell Wilson presser. I always forget that.
I don't know the particulars of the NCAA rules involved with this sort of thing, but after reading up on Jake Locker's situation (Locker signed a six-year deal with the Angels last summer and continues to play football for the University of Washington), it looks like the two main things are:
1.) He can't hire an agent.
2.) He has to give up his football scholarship and pay his own way.
You can listen to Wilson talk about his decision here.
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can't say i saw this one coming.
i have written a number of times at this site that i didn’t see Wilson as a major league prospect. glad i read a preceding article so that i know people who know much more about this than i do are as dumbfounded as myself. let me write this. i sincerely wish Wilson great success in baseball or football or both.
i do admitt that in watching the players warm up in baseball, i realized that Wilson as an athelete was a step above the others.
i attended the Nats game last night and was able to take in the outstanding performance of Strasburg-his first game as a major leaguer. quite a talent. my wife is a big Nats fan. happy for her.
i noted at SFN that NCSU has a good return on their men’s basketball program. look no further than this to see why Fowler lasted as long as he did. atheletic directors who keep things in the black are liked. its the most important thing. really.
Some notes on Locker
He was selected in the 10th round, hasn’t played organized baseball in years, and has maintained throughout that his focus is football and that if he makes it in football, he’s never going back to baseball. He still got $250k.
attendance at Nats games was slipping and enemic at times,
but last night it was sold out and the Nats even sold 2000 for standing only. it was an electric atmoshpere, with lots of hooping, hollerin and high fiven as the k’s for Strasburg mounted up. velocities on his fast ball hit 100 mph and his off speed stuff was in the low eighties. for most college pitchers its upper eighties and upper seventies.
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