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Was it really necessary for Carolina’s statements on Tez Walker and the NCAA?
Trying every possible avenue to reverse the ineligibility of Tez Walker is something a school like UNC should do. But it should be done much like the seven-year fight with the NCAA over the academic-athletic scandal.
That, of course, potentially affected many more than one football player, mainly hundreds of athletes and coaches, they and their teams faced possibly serious sanctions. Through that public hailstorm, what did UNC say? Certainly no knee jerk reactions.
Despite investing a reported $30 million in legal fees and other expenses to defend charges that the NCAA eventually could not prove, Carolina said very little publicly, if anything at all, about the ongoing investigation.
That’s why it was surprising that Mack Brown and, especially, Bubba Cunningham came out with verbal guns blasting. And, frankly, it was shocking that the NCAA Board of Directors shot back, naming Brown and Cunningham.
But at that stage of the fight, UNC took it public first, while most of the media and other college administrators were clearly and vocally on Carolina’s side.
Brown began with a blistering statement that ends with “SHAME ON YOU, NCAA!” Bubba was shorter and only a little sweeter, saying the NCAA made “a maddening, frustrating and wrong” decision not to grant Walker’s waiver.
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz came out with softer reasoning, making it look like he was speaking for the university and not his AD and football coach. Even the Governor chimed in.
Social media ran wild on both sides of the story and outside of the bubble it was wild fodder for the ABC crowd.
The NCAA went as far as to say it was “coordinating with law enforcement to deal with criminal threats against committee members.”
Brown is already a Hall of Fame lightning rod and his statement went viral. He added on Wednesday that he “hates that somebody’s having threats (against them), but I still feel strongly that my job is to stand up for Tez Walker because his life has changed as well.”
Although he coaches in a university bubble, Brown surely is aware of the uptick in violence that has dominated the news over the last six years. He knows how some angry people have taken their anger to new levels.
Whether there are other steps that affect Walker’s eligibility and can recoup the possible draft status and NIL money he may have lost and help the mental anguish he has reportedly suffered, UNC will do whatever it can. But Brown could have toned it down publicly, don’t you think?
Featured image via Associated Press/Chuck Burton
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well ok if you believe freedom of speech is only good for journalists and other institutions who themselves are prone to stir up all kinds of hatred and angst without repercussion
In other words, the corrupt NCAA cannot be criticized because some nameless person might make a threat? Our coach has every right to criticize the NCAA and it’s pathetic decision and use exactly the words he did. It’s mild compared to what I would say.
Get back to us please when those criminal threats are proven to have occurred. I can’t say they didn’t but I wouldn’t trust the NCAA to be honest.
There is something very wrong with applying the new rule retroactively when the guy was already enrolled at UNC. Even if the rules had already been approved and even if the NCAA has the power to do that, it’s just wrong. And Mack’s point is right, this is in no way good for the kid who really has done nothing wrong and has every reason to want to get back home for family reasons.
To answer your question:No! Nice picture of Coach Brown by the way. He did nothing wrong when he spoke in support of Tez Walker and his situation. Unlike the NCAA, Coach Brown has genuine care and concern for his players.Would you have it differently? As to implying that his words might cause some idiot to take ” their anger to new levels” this is a fear tactic often used in the political arena to silence dissent. I don’t always agree with Mack’s decisions on the field but I agree with his decision to step up and speak up for Tez Walker. That’s what men of character do.