Just when you think that the NCAA can’t possibly make themselves look any more pathetic, they are now trying to put the blame on the University of North Carolina officials for Tez Walker’s ineligibility and the backlash that has ensued.
Jere Morehead, chair of the D1 board and president at the University of Georgia, and Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, vice chair of the D1 board and president at the University of Evansville, released a joint statement to address threats that have been made toward committee members and their displeasure with the University of North Carolina leadership.
They started their comments by addressing the threats that their committee members have received since the decision was made official last Thursday. “The NCAA is aware of violent- and possibly criminal- threats recently directed at committee members involved in regulatory decisions. The national office is coordinating with law enforcement and will continue to do whatever possible to support the volunteers who serve on these committees.” The fact that these committee members are receiving criminal threats is concerning and a legitimate issue that needs to be handled. At the end of the day, this is just sports and threatening someone's well-being or those around them deserves to be met with criminal charges if it is applicable. Come on folks. Be better.
While I agree with those sentiments from Morehead and Pietruszkiewicz, this is where the sympathy stops for the NCAA. In a roundabout way, the statement places the blame on UNC officials for Walker’s waiver request not being approved and the reactions from the fanbase that the volunteers have received. Claiming that the statements from Mack Brown and the rest of the university’s brass incited the threats that were received by the committee members is a pathetic look and honestly irresponsible. At no point in any of the statements made during the process did Brown, athletic director Bubba Cunningham or chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz instruct the fans to establish any sort of contact with the NCAA or its committee members, but rather just stressed frustration with the decision that they have a right to be upset with. Blaming them for the actions of fans of the university or others throughout the country is slanderous.
If that wasn’t enough, the statement tries to point to Brown being outspoken as a reason why there shouldn’t be any criticism of the ruling. While it is true that Brown has talked extensively about implementing some sort of rule to slow the number of transfers, at no point did he implore the NCAA to retroactively punish players who had no way of knowing what the waiver requirements would be under a new rule that wasn’t in place when they entered the transfer portal, committed to their new school or even enrolled. Trying to blame the coaches and administrators for you trapping kids into being ineligible for this season is asinine. It’s all about what is best for the athletes, though, right?
The statement also points to the mental health argument as a reason that they actually denied the appeal, which is interesting, to say the least. The NCAA trying to determine what is best for the mental health of athletes just furthers the notion that these types of decisions are an abuse of power. A group of committee members, who as far as we know have not received direction from the mental health professionals that he worked with at Kent State on what the best course of action for Walker would be, do not know what is best for someone who is dealing with mental health issues. If you are really doing what is best for the student-athlete, why don’t you actually consult the people who would know what is best for him, like his family, doctors, etc., and also help to provide more resources if he is struggling as much as Mack Brown has said?
Brown addressed Walker’s mental health again on Monday in his media availability and on his radio show after he and wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway had to deliver the news to Walker that he would not play this season on Thursday. "They called us and told me to tell him no," Brown said on Mack Brown Live with Jones Angell on Monday night. "He can't even talk because he's so distraught. We're afraid to let him go back to his room by himself. We got him to go home, and he missed class for two days. We're worried he'll drop out of school. We're worried he might really struggle mentally. We're just worried about his future and his health. They didn't care."
As someone who has been battling my own mental health struggles for the better part of the last year now, my hope first and foremost is that Walker is receiving the mental health care that he needs right now. The fact that Brown is trying to keep him as involved as possible to get his mind off of things is great to see and I hope that being around his teammates and coaches who care about him has a similar effect as being around family and friends does for me during my darkest times.
I am all for the university suing the NCAA after last week’s ridiculous ruling and my position was strengthened on this after this pathetic attempt to direct all blame at the school for the decision and the backlash they have been receiving sinc. The most important thing right now, though, should be what is best for Walker and I hope that doesn’t get lost in what looks like an impending legal battle.