by Tucker Jackson
Staff Writer
On November 12, Director of Athletic Communications Clayton Felts sent out a cstudent email that set Sewanee buzzing with rumors. It reads: “This past Saturday, the Sewanee football team sold a past game jersey at the Homecoming game against Berry. That jersey, number 69, needs to be returned immediately. If you bought this item, please return it to the Fowler Center a.s.a.p. The Athletic Department will reimburse you for this purchase. This jersey was not supposed to be sold and needs to be returned. If you have any questions, please contact head football coach Tommy Laurendine at tolauren@sewanee.edu or call 598-1593.” Two hours after this email was sent, I emailed Felts. I first stated that I did not have the jersey, but wished to investigate its sale and potential return. Director Felts declined to comment on the behalf of the Athletic department. Thus the trail went cold. Luckily, Sewanee is a small school. I heard through the grapevine that the jersey had been purchased by one Chase Carpenter (C’18). According to Carpenter, he bought the number 69 Jersey at the Sewanee vs Berry game on November 8, from “a tent selling jerseys” for twenty dollars. Though it is hard to imagine a tent having the verbal and commercial skills required to engage in trade, stranger things have happened on party weekend.
Sewanee is such a small school that number 69 himself texted Carpenter. According to the roster on the football page of the Sewanee Athletics website, number 69 belongs to Brandon Miller (C’15), an offensive lineman from Tullahoma, TN. Miller explained in his text to Carpenter that the Athletic Department needed the jersey back in order to make a gift of it to Miller during the team’s “Senior Night.” Carpenter complied. The jersey was picked up in Carpenter’s room in McCrady the next day, the money refunded. When asked how he felt on returning the jersey, Chase stated, “I wasn’t upset, I completely understand why I had to give it back. That guy is a senior with memories of playing out there on Hardee-McGee. I got the jersey because of the number.” We can all rest easy now that the number 69 jersey has found its rightful place in the universe. Congratulations to Miller and the rest of the Sewanee Senior Football players.