Russell Wilson’s football flirtation could cost him nearly $100,000
The Colorado Rockies have not given up on Russell Wilson just yet.
Even though the former N.C. State quarterback and fourth-round Rockies draft pick decided to spend this fall playing football at Wisconsin instead of baseball with the Asheville Tourists, a Rockies affiliate, the Rockies are willing to give Wilson another chance after the football season is over.
Wilson, a second baseman, has been placed on the minor league restricted list and the Rockies will retain his rights should he return to baseball.
"The Rockies have been incredibly understanding of how torn emotionally Russell is between baseball and football. He's not being disrespectful," Wilson's agent Mark Rodgers told the Denver Post.
"He's just a 22-year-old kid who wants to keep his options open. The Rockies haven't closed the door on him coming back. And Russell has not closed the door."
Obviously, Wilson decided to leave baseball to see if he had a long-tern future in football and a stellar season with Wisconsin would help that cause. He's already been deemed the player who could make the Badgers the overwhelming favorite to win the Big Ten title, and if he can live up to that hype, he might be able to pursue the game in the NFL.
However, if things don't go as planned, Wilson would have a big decision to make, especially since he'd be on the hook for nearly half of the $200,000 signing bonus he took back when he was drafted by the Rockies.
The Rockies would have preferred Wilson stay with the Tourists until the end of the season, but it was clear that football was a distraction. He was struggling at the plate with the Tourists, hitting .228 with a .366 on-base percentage in 61 games. He did have three home runs.
