Mack Brown rips NCAA after North Carolina WR Tez Walker ruled ineligible

The NCAA announced Thursday, following a final appeal, North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker will not be eligible to play this season. 

The decision comes after the Division I Council announced in January it would update its "guidelines" for undergraduates transferring a second time and seeking to play immediately. Sure enough, it was reported that the NCAA was denying the "overwhelming" majority of cases seeking a waiver to play immediately after transferring a second time.

Walker's case fell outside the "normal" bounds of the typical two-time transfer for two reasons. First, he was already enrolled at UNC before the NCAA announced the rule change in January. Second, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walker never played at his first school. 

Both of Walker's previous schools, North Carolina Central and Kent State, filed waivers in support of Walker playing for the Tar Heels this fall.

Here is Brown's statement in full:

We're absolutely crushed to learn that Tez Walker's eligibility has been denied for this season and he won't be able to play. I don't know that I've ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people, or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now. It's clear that the NCAA is about process and it couldn't care less about the young people it's supposed to be supporting. Plain and simple, the NCAA has failed Tez and his family and I've lost all faith in its ability to lead and govern our sport.

Just imagine what it is like for Tez to be so excited to come home and have a chance to fulfill his childhood dream of playing for North Carolina in front of all of his family and friends, only to have it taken away despite doing nothing wrong," Brown said in his statement. "I can't begin to understand how this has happened. The decision makers at the NCAA and on the committee should be ashamed of themselves for doing this to a young man.

"As has been clearly documented, Tez should be eligible for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the mental health issues he's faced during his time in college. And with this decision, the NCAA has placed an unnecessary burden on him. He's had a rough go of it and this will surely only make it worse. How dare they ever speak about mental health and student-athlete welfare again. We've got complete rosters overhauled through the transfer portal, players playing in their 8th year of college, players playing at their fourth school, and the list goes on. Yet, Tez Walker, who has only played football at one school, isn't eligible. It makes no sense and it never will.

Shame on you, NCAA. SHAME ON YOU!

The NCAA released this statement defending the decision:

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