After North Carolina head coach Mack Brown released a lengthy statement condemning the NCAA for not approving wide receiver Tez Walker’s eligibility appeal, the organization responded Tuesday.
The statement from the DI Board said some committee members have received violent threats, but they stood behind the decision to not grant Walker eligibility for the 2023 season, saying athletes who transfer multiple times slow their progress toward a degree. They also said coaches wanted this policy.
“Those comments directly contradict what we and our fellow Division I members and coaches called for vociferously – including UNC’s own football coach,” the statement read.
Brown said the board should be “ashamed of themselves” in a statement after they denied Walker for the second time.
“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,” Brown said.
Walker previously attended North Carolina Central and Kent State, but he never played a down for the former. He cited mental health issues and a desire to be closer to his family in his transfer. The NCAA statement said the board consults a panel of licensed mental health experts for waiver requests with mental health stated as a factor.