Former Kansas quarterback Brock Berglund is now free to seek a scholarship opportunity elsewhere after the school released him following a lengthy and somewhat perplexing process. Berglund was dismissed from the team for missing a mandatory meeting and had been trying to transfer anyway, yet his hands were tied because of the school's refusal to release him. Lawyers were brought into the mix, statements were released and, finally, a resolution was agreed upon.
And hey look, here's Kansas releasing the news at 5:45 on a Friday! The press release is courtesy of Andy Staples.
"Today, Brock Berglund is released from his scholarship at KU to pursue other opportunities. Brock and his representatives have publicly stated their case without any public response from me to this point. Brock spent the majority of the past calendar year in Colorado taking online courses at KU's expense, which was nearly $40,000. At no time was Brock an active participant of the football team. Once competition was recruited at the quarterback position, Brock decided he no longer wanted to be a part of the team. He was expected to show up for a mandatory team meeting on Sunday, Jan. 15, but he sent an email less than two hours before the meeting to inform us that he had decided to transfer and would not be attending the meeting. He was dismissed after following through on that promise.
Although Brock has been granted his release, I only wish that he had showed the same courtesy that other players showed and came to talk to me. He decided that he did not have to follow the same protocol as the other departing members of the football team. I believe no individual should be more important than the team. Brock did not see it that way."
Way to be the bigger man, Charlie!
Berglund was kind of stuck in a bad situation to begin with, staring at a depth chart filled with transfers -- Jake Heaps and Dayne Crist -- who were brought in by head coach Charlie Weis. His prospects for seeing meaningful playing time were slim, thus triggering his desire to seek those other opportunities.
The biggest lesson learned here? Schools have ultimate power and these transfer rules are ridiculous.
For more on the Jayhawks, visit Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk.