Tyler Riddell Gave ETSU More Than He Received

The quarterback who led the Buccaneers to their winningest season and set the team record for completion percentage to boot has, in effect, been told he’d be better off elsewhere.

In March East Tennessee State athletic director Richard Sander has made some comments that are equal parts romantic and disturbing.

On March 21 Jeff Keeling of WJHL quoted Sander as saying ETSU’s 20-point comeback against Chattanooga in the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals was “because our players cared about each other, they cared about the coach, they cared about the university, they cared about the community, and it was all about what’s good in college athletics.”

Far be it for me to criticize teamwork, but you’ll forgive me if I think Quimari Peterson singlehandedly putting the Buccaneers on his back and scoring eight points to UTC’s one in the last 1:18 of the second half had more to do with the victory than the Bucs potentially liking Johnson City more than the Mocs like Chattanooga.

Frankly, it was a slight to Peterson not to recognize his dramatic contributions and instead give sappy cliches in discussing the reasons for the victory.

Eight days later Keeling quoted Sander as saying Name, Image and Likeness deals for ETSU athletes are “a nightmare. I wish our student-athletes would play for the love of the game, for the love of their teammates, for the love of the coach, all those sorts of things.”