Tez Walker out for Tar Heels' opener with appeal still up in air - ESPN

North Carolina receiver Tez Walker will not play against South Carolina on Saturday, as the Tar Heels await an NCAA ruling on his eligibility for this season.

The school expects the committee to review his case next week as the process continues.

Last month, the NCAA denied Walker's waiver to play immediately as a two-time transfer, and the school appealed the decision. The appeal will be heard by a committee of representatives from Division I schools. The committee then will make a decision and present it to the NCAA.

«We're one day away from our highly-anticipated season opener against South Carolina, and unfortunately, Tez Walker remains ineligible,» North Carolina coach Mack Brown said in a statement. «Our institution has been pushing for Tez's case to be reviewed by the assigned committee, so that it could be heard prior to our first game. But, the NCAA's unwillingness to provide clarification over the last few weeks has left us in this position.

»At this point, everyone knows the details of Tez's journey to North Carolina, and the overwhelming opinion of those around the country is that he should be playing tomorrow and this should have been resolved months ago. I can't express my disappointment in the NCAA strong enough. The NCAA has been reluctant to consider the real issues of mental health, Covid and rule changes that have impacted Tez's personal journey.

«They say they're about helping kids, but all they've done is add to the very mental health issues Tez has been dealing with that made him want to get closer to home to begin with. You can't say you're about helping kids and then show a total disregard for the kids you're supposed to be helping. It's clear they are about process and not people. Fortunately,