I was reading through my copy of Sports Illustrated this evening, when I came across a pretty good article by Peter King about how young QBs have taken the league by storm. Of course, Russell Wilson was a sizable portion of the article. It is a great article, well worth your time to read.

Of particular interest was how exactly Russell's career at NC State came to an end. According to Wilson, he called TOB and was met with this:

It's time, bud. We're going to move on. You should go ahead and transfer.

According to King's article, Wilson was crushed and wept. Ouch. I know football is a business and Russell had a baseball contract. I also understand TOB had to deal with the possibility of Glennon transferring, etc., but it's really hard seeing someone who did so much for the Pack being treated in this manner. The rumor of Wilson havi'ng the opportunity to return to compete for the starting job seems to be simply that - a rumor.

As the article points out, it was probably best for Wilson that he did transfer, as it proved he could learn a new offense (quickly) and play behind a big line in another system. If things truly went down as reported in this article, I have even more respect for the man Wilson is. We are very fortunate that he continues to speak about NC State in a positive light given his feelings on how things ended for him in Raleigh.

Wilson had an amazing season, and I wish him nothing but the best. He truly seems to be a champion on and off the field. I hope the NC State community can continue to embrace him and we can find some way to honor his contributions in Raleigh.