Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright has moved another step closer to going back to school.
As expected, the Browns have officially waived the first-year player on Monday. If/when he clears waivers, he’ll presumably transfer to LSU — and rejoin former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
While the situation has caused plenty of brains to explode, the reality is that the NCAA has adopted a year that gives players five seasons in five years. If that rule had existed before Wright entered the draft, he would have had a chance to stay in college for another year.
The courts have decided that Wright and others should benefit from the retroactive application of the NCAA’s willingness to grant five years of eligibility.
So don’t get mad at the players. Get mad at a system that has become broken in the aftermath of the reckoning that arose when years of antitrust violations finally were disrupted.
It would be a surprise if Wright is claimed on waivers. At that point, he’d have to decide whether to ignore the contract and return to college football anyway. Given the standard language of the NFL contract, the team that claims Wright could seek an injunction aimed at preventing Wright from playing football for any team other than the NFL team that holds Wright’s rights.
