Will Rowland/East Tennessean
Darius Rucker on the field while “Wagon Wheel” plays

Darius Rucker donated nearly $3,000 to the ETSU Athletics NIL fund following an appearance at the Nov. 9 game against Western Carolina at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.

Fans originally were told that Rucker would sing “Wagon Wheel” at the conclusion of the third quarter, but instead Rucker walked around the field while the song played over the stadium speakers.

Rucker called the appearance “awkward” via social media. He said the $2,980 donation was $10 for every second he stood at midfield while “Wagon Wheel” played.

“Really just wanted to be there to bring attention to this great program and say thank you singing our son at the top of your lungs every weekend,” Rucker said on X, formerly Twitter. The singer was not compensated for his appearance.

“Initially, to be perfectly honest, he thought he could sing ‘Wagon Wheel,’ but his management team called us and sad that they didn’t want him to do that,” ETSU Athletics Director Richard Sander said during a news conference at ETSU.

Following his donation, ETSU Athletics thanked Rucker on X. “Thanks for being so kind and gracious, and we are thrilled you made the trip to Johnson City to cheer on our Bucs and join in our traditions simply out of the goodness of your heart,” the post said.

ETSU saw record attendance of more than 12,000 fans for the game.

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