Brown: 'My job is to stand up for Tez Walker'

Well I I wanted to ask you since you know

we weren't expecting to get you today and uh since

you hopped on with us um obviously the NC A

took the step yesterday to to name you and and

the people at UN C and sort of um I

guess pursuing a public apr campaign against them

And what were their words uh troubled by violent and

possibly criminal threats Uh it's a pretty sharp statement they

came out with uh how did that land with you

And uh I mean what would your response to to

all of that be Well I I totally respect the

the chairman of the uh division one committee uh standing

up for the volunteers and his staff and and that's

what we all do and if somebody is is uh

uh harassing the staff threatening the staff or has wronged

the staff then that's wrong and that should stop and

it should stop immediately

And um uh you you don't want to create mental

health problems for those families and and the people that

are involved because they're trying to do their job

So uh absolutely wrong and I absolutely agree with him

and that's exactly the same reason that uh the administration

and I uh stood up for Tez Walker because we

thought he was wrong and and we felt like that

uh um he was treated poorly

Uh it increased the the stress for mental health

Uh we had a player this morning a freshman that

was late and um I've been coaching a long time

and when one doesn't show up you're really really concerned

because you you never know and your mind wonders and

you you uh are worried about what happened to him

Uh and we couldn't find him for like an hour

hour and a half and then we found him and

he was ok but we're calling his parents we're calling

the police

We're we're really checking everything and that's the kind of

job we have we are responsible for taking care of

our players and making sure that we stand up for

them uh and their mental health and their issues in

life and and uh we want our trainer our players

to be treated like we would want our sons to

be treated and you can't just say that you do

it

So when the chairman was standing up for his uh

volunteers and and the NCAA staff that's all we're doing

We're standing up for a player that we feel like

was treated poorly

Um And and there was lack of judgment because it's

not about the transfer rule

Um When you you start looking at the the transfer

rule

Uh We're not dissatisfied with it

We're dissatisfied with the the committee reviewing the waiver because

Tez's situation is different

He should be treated like a one time transfer

So all this talk about you're saying two time transfers

shouldn't shouldn't be an issue when you griped about it

No we want the waiver process to be handled properly

and and when you didn't play it to one school

you've only played it at at Kent State when you

transferred because they didn't have a season

Uh and you transferred because of COVID

And at that time our our country was in a

mess and we were making decisions to help people and

and we we made a a decision this time on

process instead of helping a person in in my opinion

Um and and then he's admitted on January 9th and

they changed the rule on January 11th

So we feel like that should be grandfathered and there's

other boxes that that he checked that we feel like

should have been that way

So um so we expressed our concerns publicly uh like

the chairman did uh what we did is is uh

uh we we are so lucky to live in a

a country where we're free and we have freedom of

speech and we can say what we think that's the

way you all make a living

Um And it's it's fair for us to stand up

for our guy um and we can agree to disagree

and that's what we've done in this situation

Uh other than that we haven't called for anybody to

be hurt or anybody to be harassed or anybody to

be anything else

But there is a difference in my life and some

of the other people's lives that judge because I have

to live mental health with these kids every day

I have to I have to tell Tez Walker he

can't play

I have to try to figure out what to do

with him uh to to because so much of his

identity is football between now and and the end of

the semester

Um And and then try to help him with options

moving forward

So um now I totally understand the the comments totally

understand the concerns on on the chairman's part

Um but we have the same concerns here and and

feel like it's fair for us to express it just

to just to follow up there real quick if I

can

Uh and I hear you on that when you said

you know you're standing up uh for your position in

this

Do you does this give you any regret when you

hear the you know the word threats being used and

and and things of that nature is that do you

have regret about this No because uh nothing I did

started threats

I mean that that's if if they're having threats that

must have come from somewhere else

Nobody I know is threatening anybody

Um so all I'm doing is taking up for our

player and that's my job

Anything else before we get off And I'm and I'm

totally opposed to anybody who is out there threatening someone

period regardless of whether they're volunteers of the NCAA on

the NCAA committee

Uh or at UN C we we've probably gotten some

bad emails here

I get them all the time

I I could call some of those threats

II I get them every day

Uh but I I move forward and and do what's

best for our our players Andrew

So I just want to stay on that

Uh There it wasn't a very thinly veiled uh allegation

though that the comments that came from you and from

Baba may have incited these threats because they kind of

lumped it in together

So with that is there any recourse on your part

either the privately or publicly Uh and and how do

you handle something like that when you just said you

had nothing to do with it but they put out

into the public uh uh bloodstream that they think that

you did

That's it's a great country where we can have an

opinion

I mean that that's their opinion and I hate it

that they feel that way

Uh I hate it that somebody's having threats but I

still feel very strong that my job is to stand

up for Taz Walker

Because his life has changed as well uh to to

put a bow on this

Uh is this it for you guys Are are you

is this the last time Maybe you comment on it

you move forward because the season continues Tez is not

gonna play and both sides have sort of said what

you have to say

Yeah I was already through and I wasn't gonna mention

it today till you asked me

Um So I but I figured you'd ask me

Uh So um as far as I know I I

know that the the uh university and the the board

of trustees are still looking at the best options to

help a young person on our campus

And that's what the chancellor does

That's what the ad does

We are all trying to help our young man uh

make some sense of this and and have a better

life

So um that's all this is about

Um and and like I said I've I've been working

on Minnesota

Uh This came from nowhere yesterday and um it it

is what it is

Thank you ma uh in the statement they mentioned that

you know in looking at some of these waivers they

have a I guess a panel of mental health experts

that they kind of consult things like that uh at

any point in the process

Um And I know you've kind of talked about you

know what communication may or may not have been there

with the NCAA

But uh were you ever given any kind of uh

maybe explanations as to you know what the set up

of that mental health panel is like and the types

of people they consult or anything like that Jeremiah I

haven't but uh again uh Pat Sudi our general manager

and compliance uh and and Bubba Cunningham did most of

the process

I was not that involved with it and and none

of us could talk um on the day that they

talked to Tess they they wouldn't let Bubba talk they

wouldn't let his lawyer talk

They only wanted to talk to Tess

So I don't really know that much about the process

Yeah

Hey coach it's great to see you and thank you

for your time

Sorry to insist on it

But uh multiple people have come out supporting your claim

and I've just finished reading an extensive article saying that

you should play tests anyway

I'm not asking you if you have considered that but

how do all those comments make you feel about your

claim and your position The only thing that's important here

Luciano is what's best for Tez Walker

This is not about me it's not about anything else

other than his well-being

And so much of a student athlete's uh identity at

this age is playing

And here's a guy who's a potential pro prospect

Here's a guy who was already on the senior bowl

list

Here's a guy who had the opportunities to make a

lot of money with nil and all that's gone away

now

Um so what we have to do is is number

one we want to make sure everybody understand that that

we didn't like the process

Uh None of that uh trying to hurt somebody

Um And secondly now we've got to do what we

feel like is best for him

Uh There's a a lot of people that are looking

at the different options and possibilities for him

Uh I'm not in that group

Uh that that group is the university and I I

love the fact that they've stood up for the young

person because it's unlike any other student here

It's not I mean every student here we should do

what's best for them and take up for them and

that that's who we are and what we do

Um So there's a lot of people looking at the

the possibilities right now

Uh and I don't know what those are

Uh as far as I know and I know he's

not gonna play this weekend

Adam wrap us up for with coach

Yeah Mac wanted to just double back real quick

I was thinking about Monday

There's a lot going on Monday when when we talked

to you and you had mentioned that that you and

Lonnie had to give Tez the news that they had

denied him again

I mean ca can you take us maybe a little

bit inside that conversation and you know I'm not trying

to get you in trouble again but is it sort

of bogus that you are the ones that have to

tell him that they are the ones who denied him

if that makes any sense Like can you just tell

us maybe give us some more insight there Yeah Adam

I think the the most important thing is is is

what's best for Tez Walker period 100%

And uh we wanted to tell him in person we

wanted to make sure he was ok

We wanted to make sure that that night he was

ok and where he was gonna be and be around

friends and people that he cared about because we uh

we constantly are concerned as I said about that young

man this morning

Uh I am responsible for every one of these young

men to their parents

And this morning we were talking to a parent when

we weren't sure where the young guy was and we

couldn't find him and and that's a frightening thing and

and everybody loves their kids and when we take one

here we're responsible for them

So um I'm not gonna apologize for standing up and

and and trying to do what's best for our young

person and making sure that he understands that we have

exhausted every possibility that we can to help him because

if we haven't then we're not doing our job and

and none of this was to uh embarrass anybody to

to get anybody threats

Uh the only thing we've done is take up for

our player and I'm very proud of that and if

I had to do it over again I'd do exactly

the same thing

Uh because I was shocked when he he didn't get

uh approved his eligibility didn't get shocked

And I felt bad because I had uh probably uh

made him feel like uh the the process was going

to happen because I thought it would

Uh and then I felt so bad we had to

tell him twice in in in a week uh that

he he wasn't gonna play and and that's the other

thing Andrew we were talking about you don't want to

get him excited about another possibility and then be crushed

again because that's a that's a a load emotionally

And as I said there was a time last week

we didn't know if he was gonna stay in school

We didn't know if he wanted to play football anymore

and and we had to deal with all that and

and that's the uh uh that's the other part of

this story that people don't understand and realize that's real

too that there's some hurt on the other side but

there's a lot of hurt on this side too and

and uh I hope the hurt cleans up on the

other side

Uh I'm responsible for helping it be cleaned up on

this side