The NCAA said on Thursday that wide receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker of North Carolina (UNC) is now allowed to play after the school received “new information” that it “failed to provide” before.
In a statement, Division I Board of Directors Chair Jere Morehead of Georgia and NCAA President Charlie Baker both noted, “It is unfortunate that UNC failed to provide this important information previously.”
“We want to reassure the Division I membership and everyone else closely monitoring how the new transfer regulations are enforced that this fulfills the new transfer waiver criteria, even if we must exercise caution not to violate a student-athlete’s right to privacy when it comes to sensitive topics.
“The conduct of UNC and its choice to launch a PR campaign are unsuitable and beyond the parameters of the procedures that UNC’s own employees approved of.
This whole regrettable situation could have been averted if the UNC staff had not acted in such a manner and turned in this material weeks ago.
UNC contests the NCAA’s assertions.
Bubba Cunningham, the school’s director of athletics, called the governing body’s assertion that the NCAA lacked all the evidence necessary to determine eligibility from the outset “not accurate.”
“We still believe Tez met all standards for the waiver in early August,” Cunningham stated on Thursday.
“The University submitted all necessary information and documentation as it was made available to us at the time.”
