Social Media reacts to NCAA denying Tez Walker eligibility
The moment has finally arrived for UNC to hear if the NCAA would allow transfer Wide Receiver Tez Walker to play this football this season for the Tar Heels.
Many were hopeful that the outpouring of nationwide support, including program rivals, would warrant the NCAA to make Walker eligible. Instead, their verdict remained unchanged, meaning no Walker for UNC this year.
The news was not taken lightly, with social media attacking the NCAA ruling by voicing their opinion. North Carolina’s football coach, Mack Brown, and UNC’s Sports Athletic Director, Bubba Cunningham, shared their feelings following the verdict.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people, or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now,” Brown said.
Cunningham shared similar feelings: “This decision undermines the fair treatment of student-athletes and further erodes the public’s confidence in our national governing body.”
To no surprise, this decision brought quite a reaction, especially with the announcement coming on the heels of what feels like a tone-death tweet by the NCAA.
Let us look at how social media reacted to the NCAA decision not to let Walker play.
What a pathetic look for the NCAA on all fronts. Clearly don’t care about what best for the student-athlete despite putting out a promo about that exact thing YESTERDAY. This should just be more motivation for college football to separate from the NCAA.
— Anthony Pagnotta (Flounder) (@HTBAnthony) September 7, 2023
They are literally screwing around with a young man’s future to follow technical rules *THAT WERE NOT IN PLACE* when he transferred.
It is patently ridiculous.
The national media needs to hound the @ncaa nonstop. @CharlieBakerMA what an absolute abdication of leadership.
— UNC Humor (@UNC_Humor) September 7, 2023
Kids playing their 7th, 8th and 9th seasons of college football. Players that are 34 years old playing college football.
Kids playing at their 4th school.Teams bringing in 40+ transfers, completely overhauling rosters.
But Tez Walker can’t play, time for the NCAA to be gone
— FQ North Carolina🐏 (@FQNorthCarolina) September 7, 2023
Here's the hypocrisy of the NCAA. Tez Walker can not play this season, but his former Kent State Coach Sean Lewis is currently the OC at Colorado and able to coach with no issue. Good for Sean. No problem with him. But if he can do it, Tez should be able to play. Period. https://t.co/XcEuE1D6Nn pic.twitter.com/yxWAhg6lLB
— Chris Lea – WRAL-TV (@ChrisLeaTV) September 7, 2023
The NCAA has found a way for literally everyone to unite in their absolutely shameful handling of the Tez Walker situation while they just stand there like this pic.twitter.com/TxFuDa6N9V
— Tanya Anderson (@Tanya__Anderson) September 7, 2023
Free Tez Walker!!! @NCAAFootball your organization is a joke
— Austin (@ChiefedKeef) September 7, 2023
The only thing Tez Walker did wrong was not transferring to a blue blood football school. Already know the NCAA would be doing everything in their power to have him be eligible.
— Fence the Garden NJ🪓⚔️ (@PutOnForJersey) September 7, 2023
The NCAA is now the Wild West so it’s disappointing that the boot comes down on a young man victimized by a bizarre interpretation of a late rule change. Instead of unfair attempts to assert its relevancy, the NCAA needs new priorities. – RChttps://t.co/F3pd9KNFLO
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) September 7, 2023
This being your pinned tweet while denying Tez Walker's immediate eligibility is next level tone deaf https://t.co/dEi937FZ65
— Henry (@seminole4life22) September 7, 2023
The NCAA and Tez Walker: pic.twitter.com/GdVDx1zMfZ
— The Transfer Portal CFB (@TPortalCFB) September 7, 2023
Wait, the NCAA really denied Tez Walker’s appeal? A genuinely mind-boggling decision.
Just proves nothing has changed since Charlie Baker took over. Incompetence at its absolute finest.
— Jacob Turner (@JacobTurnerTHI) September 7, 2023
We’ve seen this story time and time again…I hate it for Tez Walker. As a former student athlete it’s infuriating to see NCAA constantly put out statements like “we have the best interest in student athletes” that is far from it. It’s a money grabbing business and always will be
— Austin Bryant (@AustinBryant6) September 7, 2023
#VolTwitter let's help hold the NCAA accountable. The Tez Walker decision is outrageous, and we know how to be loud. Let it be known that Vol Twitter wants Tez Walker free. Repost and keep sharing the word. #freeTezWalker
— Orange Kool-aid (1-0) (@Vol_Bender) September 7, 2023
Now that we’ve already played our game, FREE TEZ WALKER!! #FreeTez
— Kevon (@kevondsmith) September 7, 2023
The best (worst) part of this is that the @NCAA knows how wrong they are and they are choosing to screw over Tez Walker anyway. Almost like a dare for UNC to flex on them again…and this is a much more cut and dry case than the other thing even.
— Brandon Anderson brandonanderson@bsky.social (@THBBrandon) September 7, 2023
Someone explain to me like I’m 5 how Tez Walker got denied eligibility when he transferred before the rule was put in place, yet Juwan Mitchell transferred from Tenn to ASU this year, was kicked off the team last month and transferred to Colorado (his 5th school) and can play?
— Nathan Cooper (@ncoopdraft) September 7, 2023
Just sayin' about Tez Walker situation pic.twitter.com/pEDD20YZIM
— ACC Football News (@accfootballnews) September 7, 2023
The @NCAA ruling on Tez Walker is just one more reason for schools to leave the NCAA.
Form something different, it will be better.
— Marc (@KSUSandalGuy) September 7, 2023
Tez Walker NEVER PLAYED A DOWN AT NC CENTRAL because COVID canceled the season.
This is crazy.
— Steven J. Gaither (@stevenjgaither) September 7, 2023
The day @NCAA posts about student-athlete's mental health awareness is the eaxt same day they deny Tez Walker who transferred because of mental health struggles. You can't make this up. They literally making his mental health worse.
— Antonio Blake (@ABlake54) September 7, 2023
So Bo Nix and JT Daniels can play college football through 2 presidential administrations but the NCAA draw the line at Tez Walker huh
— Cole…You Stupid! (@Big_Lap) September 7, 2023
Free Tez Walker.
— Dylan Brett (@DBrettBrackets) September 7, 2023
The NCAA continues putting its utter incompetence on display time and time again. Tez Walker should be immediately eligible and it's sad that young man is getting treated like this by an organization who claims to care so much about their student-athletes.
— No. 23 Sports (@No23Sports) September 7, 2023
