University of North Carolina football coach Mack Brown ran into trouble with the NCAA after it rejected the Tarheels’ attempts to immediately consider transfer recipient Devontez Walker.
The school announced the decision less than a week after Walker roamed the sidelines but did not play during the Tar Heels’ season-opening 17th victory against South Carolina.
Announcing the decision, Brown concluded a long and blunt statement saying, “Shame on you, NCAA. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!’
NCAA rules generally allow players to free transfer once, but the association considers Walker a two-way transfer because he enrolled at North Carolina Central before landing at Kent State.
The Eagles did not play football due to the COVID-19 pandemic during Walker’s time at North Carolina Central, so he has only played for Kent State (two seasons).
Mack Brown went scorched earth on the NCAA after they rejected their appeal against Tez Walker
Tez Walker has been banned from participation for the entire 2023 football season by the NCAA
And he enrolled in UNC in January, days before a rule change restricting free movement through duplicate transfers. The decision means Walker will have to stay at Chapel Hill for a year before becoming eligible to play next year, a path that has traditionally been the norm for transfers before the current era of free player movement through the transfer portal.
“Obviously, the NCAA cares about the process and doesn’t care which young people it should be supporting,” Brown said.
It’s simple: The NCAA has failed Tez and his family and I’ve lost all faith in their ability to lead and govern our sport.
“They messed up so many things when it comes to college football, and now their failures have had a negative impact on one of our lives.”
Still, the NCAA’s stance has attracted much criticism nationwide, including during the national ABC broadcast of the UNC opener and even from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
“The NCAA had an opportunity to demonstrate that this is a new membership organization by using common sense, reason and compassion in determining Tez Walker’s eligibility,” Cunningham’s statement began.
He later added, “Instead, the NCAA made a maddening, frustrating, and wrong decision—for Tez, for college football, and for college athletics.”
In a separate statement, Cunningham said the NCAA denied Walker’s clearance a total of eight times. He said the decision “undermines the fair treatment” of athletes and erodes public confidence in NCAA leadership.
The 17th-ranked University of North Carolina Tarheels will face Appalachian State on Saturday
The NCAA released a statement Thursday discussing the eligibility review process but declined to comment on specific cases. The Division I Board decided earlier this year that multiple transfers must document injury, illness or mental health issues necessitating the transfer, or issues surrounding athlete safety.
Stephen LaPorta, James Madison’s assistant athletic director for compliance, chaired the committee that heard UNC’s latest appeal. He pointed to NCAA requirements approved in April for member schools to provide more resources for mental health and medical support to athletes.
“For student-athletes who are transferring for the second time and don’t get a waiver to compete immediately, those resources and support systems are still available as they get used to their new schools before competing next year,” LaPorta said.
Walker’s mental health is one of many factors cited by UNC in its argument. He is an instate product of Charlotte and had been transferred after a coaching change at Kent State to be closer to family, specifically a grandmother with multiple ailments who was unable to travel upstate to watch him play.
Brown said Walker — who was expected to be the main target for star quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Maye — was down and struggling emotionally amid the uncertainty leading up to the opener.
He was originally scheduled to play at East Tennessee State before suffering a knee injury that forced him to postpone enrollment. Instead, he bounced back and landed at North Carolina Central, but the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed the 2020 fall season at the Championship Subdivision level. Subsequently, the team decided to opt out of the Spring 2021 restricted roster, leading to his move to Kent State.
Cunningham said both schools supported Walker’s bid, adding that Walker is a Dean’s List student due to graduate in December.
His teammates were also behind him. The Tar Heels gave Walker the game ball after he defeated the Gamecocks, while Maye wore Walker’s jersey backwards—so that Walker’s name was visible on his chest—while doing postgame interviews.
“He’s had a rough time and this will only make it worse,” Brown said Thursday. “How dare the NCAA ever speak again about mental health and the well-being of students and athletes.”