NCAA rules UNC WR Tez Walker ineligible, sparking angry reaction from Tar Heels

>> WRAL, SPORTS STARTS NOW.

>> BUT AS DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW,

HE'S A TOUGH YOU NEVER KNOW THE

STORY ON TO EXPLAIN THAT.

BUT JUST THE AMOUNT THEIR EYES

TO SOMETHING THAT MEANS YOU GOT

ON THEIR TRANCE OR 3 OR 4 TIMES

PLANT. AND AS I HAVE DONE THE

RIGHT WAY AND HE'S NOT GETTING

A WARRANT.

>> THAT WAS UNC QUARTERBACK

DRAKE MAYE AFTER USC'S WIN THIS

PAST SATURDAY. HE WAS

DISAPPOINTED THEN THAT THE NCAA

WOULDN'T ALLOW HIS TEAM MATE AS

WALKER TO PLAY ON THAT DAY.

NOW THE NCAA HAS RULED THAT

WALKER ISN'T ELIGIBLE THIS

ENTIRE SEASON. WE'LL HAVE TO

SIT OUT UNTIL NEXT YEAR.

UNC HEAD COACH MACK BROWN LIT

INTO THE NCAA IN A STATEMENT

SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, THE NCAA

HAS FAILED TO AS AND HIS FAMILY

AND I'VE LOST ALL FAITH IN ITS

ABILITY TO LEAD AND GOVERN OUR

SPORT. THEY'VE MESSED SO MANY

THINGS UP AS IT RELATES TO

COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND NOW THEIR

FAILURES HAVE IMPACTED

NEGATIVELY. THE LIFE OF ONE OF

OUR OWN. THIS STORY IS SO

INVOLVED AND BETTER UNDERSTOOD

AND PUT INTO ITS PROPER

CONTEXT. WRAL'S LUIS FERNANDEZ

SHOWS US HOW WE GOT TO THIS

POINT.

>> UNC PLANNED ON MAKING FORMER

KEN STATE WIDE RECEIVER IT AS

WALKER A FOCAL POINT OF THIS

OFFENSE. BUT NOW HE'S BEEN

DECLARED INELIGIBLE FOR THE

REST OF THE SEASON TO GIVE

CONTEXT TO THE DECISION WE NEED

TO GO BACK TO 2019 AT THE

BEGINNING OF HIS COLLEGIATE

CAREERS HE SIGNED WITH EAST

TENNESSEE STATE. BUT HE'S

SIGNING WAS DEFERRED WHEN HE

TORE HIS ACL BEFORE ARRIVING

ON CAMPUS. HE SIGNED WITH NORTH

CAROLINA CENTRAL BUT THEN CAME

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE

SEASON WAS CANCELED. FROM

THERE. HE TRANSFERRED TO KEN

STATE WHERE HE PLAYED IN 20

GAMES FINISHING THIS PAST

SEASON WITH 921 RECEIVING YARDS

AND 11 TOUCHDOWNS. HIS HEAD

COACH LEFT THIS PAST DECEMBER

AND HE TRANSFERRED TO UNC IN

EARLY JANUARY. THE NCAA UPDATED

ITS GUIDELINES FOR SECOND TIME

TRANSFERS, MAKING IT MORE

DIFFICULT TO GET IMMEDIATE

ELIGIBILITY ENROLLED IN CLASSES

IN JANUARY NIGHT.

AND CW CHANGE THE RULE. JANUARY

11 BROWN SAID PART OF THE

REASON HE CAME BACK TO NORTH

CAROLINA.

>> BUT THE PLAY IN FRONT OF HIS

GRANDMOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME

HE'S REALLY STRUGGLED.

>> AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE WE'RE

COMING OUT AND SAYING THAT, YOU

KNOW, HE LAID HIS HEAD ON MY

SHOULDER AND STARTED CRYING.

I'M LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON I HOPE

I GET TO PLAY FOOTBALL. I DID

EVERYTHING THAT I WAS SUPPOSED

TO DO.

>> NOW AFTER TODAY'S RULING

CAME DOWN, A SLEW OF REACTION

POURED OUT FROM ALL OVER,

INCLUDING FROM 99, 9 TOUGH AND

TIM DONNELLY.

>> IT'S TIME TO STOP TALKING

ABOUT THE REASONS WHY HE SHOULD

BE ELIGIBLE AND START TALKING

ABOUT THE RAMIFICATIONS THAT

THE NCAA IS NOT OBSERVING AND

PROBABLY HASN'T EVEN REALIZE

THEY JUST CAUSE WITH THIS

DECISION. IF DRAKE MAYE TURNS

PRO AFTER THIS YEAR, LIKE

EVERYONE EXPECTS TELLS WALKER

MAY NEVER GET TO PLAY WITH HIM.

PLAYING WITH TO DRAKE MAYE,

MAYBE TESLA LIKE HE'S AN NFL

PLAYER. MAYBE THAT TURNS HIM

INTO A DRAFT PICK. MAYBE A

TURNED HIM INTO A HIGH DRAFT

PICK NOW BECAUSE YOU'VE ROBBED

HIM OF LEVY, THE OPPORTUNITY

TO PLAY. MAYBE HE'S NOT A DRAFT

PICK NEXT YEAR. MAYBE YOU JUST

LITERALLY TOOK TOOK.

>> LIFE CHANGING OUT OF HIS

POCKET.

>> EVEN OUR GOVERNOR ROY COOPER

CHIMED IN WITH HIS OPINION ON

SOCIAL MEDIA. HE SAID, QUOTE,

THE NCAA IS NOW THE WILD WEST.

SO IT'S DISAPPOINTING THAT THE

BOOK COMES DOWN ON A YOUNG MAN

VICTIMIZED BY A BIZARRE

INTERPRETATION OF A LATE RULE

CHANGE INSTEAD OF UNFAIR TIPS

TO ASSERT HIS RELEVANCY.

THE NCAA NEEDS NEW PRIORITIES