NCAA Aware of 'Violent' and 'Possibly Criminal' Threats Directed at Committee Members

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that it is coordinating with law enforcement after "violent and possibly criminal threats" were made to committee members regarding transfer waivers.

The news comes in the wake of North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker having his eligibility appeal for the 2023 season denied by the NCAA last week due to his status as a two-time transfer. After the decision was made, UNC head coach Mack Brown released a lengthy statement expressing his disappointment in the NCAA and saying he "lost all faith in its ability to lead and govern our sport."

In a joint statement from Division I Board of Directors chair Jere Morehead and vice chair Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, UNC was addressed directly.

"The DI Board is troubled by the public remarks made last week by some of the University of North Carolina leadership," the statement read. "Those comments directly contradict what we and our fellow Division I members and coaches called for vociferously–including UNC's own football coach."

On Jan. 11, the NCAA amended its eligibility rules when it comes to two-time transfers, stating that they now have to sit out a year after their second transfer. Walker had enrolled at UNC two days before the rule change after transferring from Kent State. He began his college career at NC Central but never played for the team because its season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of his appeal, Walker posted a letter he wrote to NCAA president Charles D. Baker Jr. on social media in which he cited his mental health as part of the reason for his second transfer. Tuesday's joint statement said the DI Board "believes that NCAA staff and the committee are applying transfer waiver guidelines as intended by member schools and giving proper and full consideration to individual cases, including consulting a panel of licensed mental health experts for cases in which mental health is cited as a reason for transfer."

The statement continued: "The DI Board last year directed the DI Council to refine the guidelines for transfer waivers and apply those guidelines to the 2023-24 academic year. These new guidelines were supported unanimously by all 32 Division I conferences in January, and prior to that were widely supported by member schools and coaches associations."

On Monday, ESPN's Andrea Adelson reported that UNC's board of trustees "held an emergency meeting Monday to discuss possible legal options" regarding Walker's eligibility for this season. It remains to be seen if Tuesday's announcement from the NCAA influences the university to change its course of action.