By Scott Salomon
The NCAA talks big, but never backs it up. They have proven that they can talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk.
They promised to spend more time and money on student-athletes’ mental health, yet they crushed one today in North Carolina with the stroke of a pen.
The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, denied Devontez “Tez” Walker appeal to participate as a member of the University of North Carolina football team this season because this is his second transfer. This was denied even though the NCAA carved out an exception to the second transfer rule that you do not have to sit out if you have a medical hardship.
The NCAA defines the Eligibility-Hardship Waiver as the following:
“A student-athlete may be granted an additional year of competition by the conference or the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet for reasons of “hardship.” Hardship is defined as an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness that has occurred under all of the following conditions:
- unchanged.
- The injury or illness occurs prior to the completion of the first half of the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship in that sport not exceeding the maximum limitations in each sport as set forth in Bylaw 17 as set prior to the first scheduled contest or date of competition) and results in incapacity to compete for the remainder of that playing season.
- The injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than two contests or dates of competition (whichever is applicable to that sport) or 20 percent (whichever number is greater) of the institution’s completed scheduled contests or dates of competition in his or her sport.”
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While at Kent State, Walker would suffer from tremendous anxiety and depression over the matter of his ailing grandmother and knew that he had to come home.
Walker, who was denied once before, which led to the appeal, needed to come home and see his grandmother and be with her in her final days.
Tar Heels coach Mack Brown released a statement through the University and has a serious bone to pick with the National Communists Against Athletes, as Brian Bosworth once referred to the Association in 1987.
Part of Brown’s statement is set forth below.
“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,” Brown stated. “They’ve messed so many things up as it relates to college football, and now their failures have negatively impacted the life of one of our own. 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!”
Walker was unavailable after the decision but did say before the waiver was applied for that he suffered greatly while at Kent State.
“It weighed on me a lot,” Walker said. “She had a surgery while I was gone, so there were a lot of things she was going through at the time I was up there. I was producing on the field, but I would go home every night and was upset because I couldn’t see her, and I couldn’t help her. Week 7, Week 8 I thought I might leave to get somewhere closer to home. It didn’t matter where it was to me, as long as I could get home to help her out.”
This is also despite the fact that both of his former schools, North Carolina Central and Kent State, filed waivers and letters in support of Walker gaining immediate eligibility.
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz chimed in and released the following statement in support of Walker.
“We are deeply disappointed that the NCAA has ruled against Tez Walker’s eligibility when we believe the facts of his situation should obviously permit him to play this season. There is a time when organizations need to be flexible enough to do the right thing in unique circumstances to best serve the personal welfare of those they serve. We will continue to support Tez in any way possible at Carolina now and in the future.”
This is only one of a series of bonehead decisions that the NCAA has made recently.
They initially suspended Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for four games for buying a player a hamburger. They later rescinded the suspension, before Michigan imposed a three-week suspension for Harbaugh to flex their muscles and show the NCAA that they could take care of the matter in-house.
UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham chimed in with the following statement.
A statement regarding today's decision about Tez Walker pic.twitter.com/nmshkHtLco
— Bubba Cunningham (@BubbaUNC) September 7, 2023
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper even took time out of his busy day to comment on the matter. He took to X to issue his statement.
The NCAA is now the Wild West so it’s disappointing that the boot comes down on a young man victimized by a bizarre interpretation of a late rule change. Instead of unfair attempts to assert its relevancy, the NCAA needs new priorities. – RChttps://t.co/F3pd9KNFLO
— Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) September 7, 2023
I personally feel bad for Walker, and I know that this will bring even more depression and anxiety into his life. The NCAA made a bad decision today, and they kicked a dog when he was down.
