What’s Wrong with ETSU’s Transfer Portal Policy
Athletic Director Richard Sander says future Buccaneers who enter the portal can’t return.
With a football season nobody is all that excited about ready to start, East Tennessee State athletic director Richard Sander announced a “Be Great” initiative to set the course for Buccaneers athletics.
“Great” is an anacronym for “Grateful, Resilient, Excited, All-In, and Together.” While the final two might seem repetitive, it’s ultimately an effort to increase giving to the athletic department while speaking of improving the lot of the ETSU athlete mentally, physically, and emotionally.
But the word to focus in on here is grateful, thus meaning “grateful to be here.”
For within that definition is a new ETSU policy that once an athlete enters in to the transfer portal, he or she is to be banished from Johnson City forever.
Some might consider that a good thing, but the hope is by not allowing those who enter the transfer portal to return to ETSU it will prevent situations such as the last school year, where 74 Buccaneers entered the portal.
The problem is today’s college athlete has more freedom than ever and doesn’t want to be suppressed.
How will today’s athlete respond to essentially not being able to place…
