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CHAPEL HILL – Mack Brown made a public plea to new NCAA President Charlie Baker following the Tar Heels’ practice Tuesday: Let Tez play!

Brown met with the media following his team’s 12th practice of fall camp for a regularly scheduled Q&A session. But after updating some team notes and player tidbits, Brown concluded his opening statement directing comments to Baker regarding an appeal to the NCAA that if approved would make Walker eligible to play this season.

Brown’s words were direct and unwavering:

“I really like what I see with President Charlie Baker coming in from the governor’s position in Massachusetts,” Brown said. “There’s already been some changes that are good, I hear that we’ve got more changes that are coming. And one of the changes that needs to happen is the way we handle mental health.

“We have a committee that sits up there that never talks to Tez, never talks to his grandmother, never talks to our doctors, never talks to the mental health people on our campus, never talks to our chaplain, who Tez talks to every day. And he feels really guilty that he’s brought negative attention to our program, which he shouldn’t, but he does. And he’s really struggling.”

At issue is Walker’s eligibility for this season. The NCAA deems him a two-time transfer because he was part of North Carolina Central’s program for a year before transferring to Kent State, where he played the last two seasons.

UNC is arguing Walker is a one-time transfer because he never played at NCCU due to it canceling football because of Covid. And, Carolina is arguing that since Walker enrolled January 9 and the rule was changed January 11, and being applied to him, that a grandfather clause should have been applied to Walker.

In addition, UNC maintains that it’s important to note Kent State sent a letter to the NCAA on Walker’s behalf, which generally doesn’t happen for transfers. The Golden Flashes staff mostly left, and Walker’s need to be closer to his grandmother were points of emphasis in the Kent State letter.

“One of the most important things is the school that the young man transfers from writes a letter that says they agree he needed to transfer for his mental health, and Kent State did that,” Brown said.

Brown also repeatedly continued making a strong pitch, as he did a week ago when this first came up, that this is absolutely about more than football, and did so again earlier Tuesday

“As I look at it, I see a mental health issue,” he said. “I see it at the highest level. And I can’t imagine that some committee that’s sitting up in Indianapolis with doors that have never met this kid doesn’t have to step up and really look at mental health.

“If we’re worried about student-athlete welfare, like we say we are, and if we’re worried about mental health, like we say we are – because you’re taking away his opportunity to play, you’re taking away a guy’s opportunity to play that’s on the watch list for best receiver in the country, you’re taking away an opportunity for a guy to play in the NFL.

“So, you’re taking away opportunity for compensation, and you’re taking away, most importantly, he needed to be close to home and he needed his grandmother to see him play for the first time ever.

“So, I'm banking on Charlie Baker. If we are changing, it's time to change. And I'm banking on him stepping up and changing because it's what's best for this young man.

“It's not about us. He is a good player. But if I say that I'm going to take care of every player and treat them like I'd want my son to be treated, that's what I'm trying to do in this situation. Tez needs to be able to play. That’s the only fair thing for him.”

Aside from the appeal UNC put together, Brown says there’s nothing else he or the school can do. He said nobody would take a call from him on this even he wanted to go that route. And, he says none of that should be necessary in this case.

“The story’s there,” he said. “It’s obvious.”

The coach continued:

“We’re pleading with the NCAA to make a decision, because it puts more pressure on the young guy every day. It’s not us. We’ll be able to play if he doesn’t play. We’ll have somebody ready. But for him, you can imagine what he has on the line and the mental health issues and him having to wait.”

UNC opens its season September 2 versus South Carolina in Charlotte.