For Immediate Release:
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Contact:
Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060
NCAA Decision Allows Tez Walker to Play After Stein’s Letter Urging them to Do So
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein released the below statement after the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) reversed its decision to bar UNC Chapel Hill football player Devontez Walker from playing this season. Attorney General Stein wrote the NCAA on September 26, 2023, urging it to change course and alleging that its prior decision was wrong as a matter of common sense and decency and likely violated federal and state antitrust laws.
“I wrote the NCAA to demand that it reconsider its unfair decision about Tez Walker,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I am gratified that it has listened and will now allow him to play. I wish this young man nothing but the best.”
In his letter, Attorney General Stein contends that the NCAA’s decision to prohibit Mr. Walker from playing was wrong—and likely unlawful. The NCAA’s decision was based on a recent rule change, which requires any student-athlete who transfers more than once to sit out of competition for a year unless they meet certain exceptions. Mr. Walker’s decision to leave Kent State University and transfer to UNC Chapel Hill was finalized two days before the rule change and was based on extenuating circumstances. He also did not play for North Carolina Central University, where he began his career as a student-athlete.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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