The NCAA on Thursday ruled that North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker is ineligible to play at all this season, and Mack Brown is beyond irate over the decision.
Walker enrolled at UNC on Jan. 9, which was two days before the NCAA imposed stricter limits on two-time transfers. He had been at NC Central in 2020, but their season was canceled due to the pandemic. He then moved to Kent State, where became an All-MAC standout before transferring to UNC in order to be closer to his family, particularly his ailing grandmother who helped raise him.
The NCAA announced on Jan. 11 that “multiple-time transfers who cannot demonstrate and adequately document a personal need for medical or safety reasons to depart the previous school are not eligible to compete immediately following their second undergraduate transfer.”
Walker says he has received mental health counseling since he arrived at North Carolina. UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham argued that both his school and Kent State “have provided overwhelming evidence detailing (Walker’s) mental health needs.”
After Walker was ruled ineligible, Brown eviscerated the NCAA in a lengthy statement.
Brown had previously ripped the NCAA for not letting Walker play in the Tar Heels’ season opener against South Carolina on Saturday. This is not the first time Brown has been angry with the NCAA, but the 72-year-old has never blasted the organization so passionately, at least in public.
Walker has two years of eligibility remaining, but he will not be able to play again until 2024. The junior had 58 catches for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns at Kent State last season.
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