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Besides beating Syracuse, Tez Walker and Carolina got a big win-win-win over the weekend.
Walker opened his post-game press conference after his debut as a Tar Heel by saying he is “blessed” to have his eligibility back. Up until he got a hint Thursday morning, Walker was resigned to being the best practice player in the history of UNC football and a sideline cheerleader for his teammates.
Then, after he found out from Mack Brown and wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway who gave him the news around noon, here is what happened:
Walker’s ailing grandmother, who was in the middle of the mental health debate over Tez’s transfer status, screamed so loud over the phone that No. 9 had to put his cell down.
His mother shed a tear, which made Walker do the same.
And his teammates and coaches, who had been sharing his burden, all had extra pep in their steps when they took the practice field that afternoon. And Walker led the team out of the tunnel for the Syracuse kick-off, waving a big UNC flag before he caught 6 passes in the victory for the 5-0 Heels on ESPN.
Alumni and fans of Carolina burst with pride that their highly recruited stretch receiver is another target for Drake Maye to find and hit down the field. Sure, Walker enrolled at UNC last January with expectations, and after word spread that the NCAA had ruled him out for the season, forces took over.
Did it matter that Governor Roy Cooper is a UNC grad with a deep love for his alma mater and attorney general Josh Stein is running to succeed him?
Both wrote letters to NCAA president Charlie Baker, former governor of Massachusetts. Cooper penned his from a political fairness standpoint and Stein issued a not-so-veiled threat that the once-bulletproof NCAA would be sued on antitrust grounds and for restraint of trade.
With Duke’s more global standing and N.C. State’s far lower political profile, Carolina’s clout cannot be underrated in this instance. Since the NCAA backed away from the original NIL lawsuit pending in California, its power and prestige has been under fire as a so-called “voluntary organization” and is now far more susceptible to litigation than ever before.
So the wins are for UNC banding together in protest, Walker winning an appeal he might have lost as a third-string lineman, and the Tar Heels getting more brand exposure than it ever expected, or wanted, from the controversy.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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