Chris Martin is Transferring From Cal

Espn's Ted Miller is reporting that 5 star defensive end Chris Martin is transferring from Cal. This is terrible news for the Golden Bears as Martin was expected to contribute right away and perhaps start in his freshman season.  As a Cal fan, this is absolutely painful to write.

Martin released at statement courtesy of scouts.inc saying,

“My decision to transfer definitely does not reflect on the football program or the academics at Cal. Rather, I feel like for me to focus and truly reach my potential I need to leave many of the distractions I have here at home in the Bay Area. I need to venture away from home and start my college career somewhere else where I don’t have those distractions.”

Tedford reacted with class and also released a statement saying

“This is a decision that Chris and his family have made to do what they feel is in the best interest of Chris,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said in a statement. “We wish Chris the best as he pursues his college football career. It is always important for young men to make the correct decisions to be able to reach their full potential. I understand his concern with the continued outside distractions he’s facing, and I support Chris and his decision to transfer. I wish him and his family all the best.”

I think as Cal fans we need to follow Tedford's lead and react with as much class as possible and wish Chris Martin the best. This is about as painful as it gets for a Cal fan. I know this will ruin any Cal fan's day when they read this.  I hope that if Tedford did release Martin from his letter of intent, it stipulates that Martin cannot transfer to another Pac-10 school.