UNC AD Bubba Cunningham fires back at NCAA after Tez Walker waiver granted

Exciting news came out of Chapel Hill on Thursday, as North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker was granted eligibility through a waiver following a back-and-forth battle between the Tar Heels and the NCAA.

And even though the Kent State transfer and the UNC program are delighted to welcome him to the field, North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham still showed displeasure with how the NCAA handled the situation, which he revealed in a statement.

“We are happy that Tez Walker is now eligible to play and enjoy doing what he loves to do,” Cunningham said in his statement. “However, the justification provided by the NCAA today is not accurate. The University submitted all necessary information and documentation as it was made available to us at the time and we still believe Tez met all standers for the waiver in early August. It is not clear why the NCAA delayed making the correct decision then, but we are pleased to get to the appropriate resolution now.”

North Carolina’s chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz also weighed in on Walker’s waiver being granted, and while he wasn’t as brusque as Cunnigham was in his statement, still expressed joy about Walker’s return to the field and the fact that the university adhered to all of the necessary procedures in the process.

“We are elated at the resolution for Tez Walker and for all who supported him here at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Guskiewicz said in a statement. “We know that he has been through a lot as we pursued numerous appeals with the NCAA. UNC provided all available information at every step of the process. I want to thank everyone at Carolina who worked in support of Tez. In our stated effort to exhaust all avenues, new information about this matter came to our attention and we immediately gathered and submitted it for consideration. The NCAA reached the right decision that restores Tez’s experience as a student-athlete and a Tar Heel.”

The NCAA claimed that “new information” had been made available by UNC that led to Walker’s waiver being granted and that the school had “multiple chances to do so” previously, which both Guskiewicz and Cunningham seem to disagree with.

Walker’s collegiate career started at NC Central before transferring to Kent State, with the NCAA stating that he could not play for the Tar Heels this season due to him transferring for a second time. North Carolina requested a waiver to make Walker eligible for the 2023 season, citing the cancellation of NC Central’s due to COVID-19 and Walker’s desire to be closer to home and his sick grandmother, but the waiver was denied.

Walker missed the Tar Heels’ first four games of the season as a result of his waiver denial, but will now be able to take the field with his teammates on Saturday when North Carolina faces Syracuse. But as for UNC providing the necessary information to get that waiver granted, it’s the NCAA’s word versus Cunningham’s.