Former NFL Back Slams Dae'Quan Wright's Return to College
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Damien Harris calls the move 'embarrassing' after tight end Dae'Quan Wright attempts to enter the transfer portal following an NFL training camp stint.
Tight end Dae'Quan Wright has become the first active player to move from an NFL training camp into the NCAA transfer portal, as CBS Sports first reported.
Wright, a former Ole Miss player, entered the professional ranks as an undrafted free agent, signing first with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Cleveland Browns practice squad. Wright dressed for a preseason game and took part in training camp, though an apparent injury kept him sidelined before Cleveland waived him on Aug. 24. He has since reached an agreement to play for LSU, provided he clears waivers.
In a bid to enable the move, Wright joined other athletes in a Louisiana lawsuit, resulting in a temporary restraining order that allows him to return to college for one more year. This comes as a new NCAA rule granting most Division I athletes five years of eligibility will not take effect until next season, per CBS Sports.
Former NFL running back Damien Harris, a two-time college football national champion who played for the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, criticized the move as "elementary" and "embarrassing" in a conversation with CBS Sports. Harris argued that returning to college takes a roster spot from a deserving player and suggested that if he were an NFL general manager, such a move would make him question a player's competitiveness and work ethic. Harris further described the current NCAA and college football landscape as "bush league," claiming athletes are attempting to "finesse the system" of both levels of play.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken expressed similar bewilderment when questioned by CBS Sports, noting that he now understands why Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin had reached out to him a week prior.