North Carolina coach Mack Brown said Wednesday that he understood why the NCAA’s Division I Board released a statement after pointed comments by the North Carolina coach and other UNC officials regarding the decision to rule WR Devontez Walker ineligible for the 2023 season.

The board said Tuesday that it had received threats and harassment after its decision to keep Walker on the sidelines in 2023 and said it was “troubled” by remarks made by Brown and others at North Carolina. Brown released a pointed statement after the decision was final and said he was extremely disappointed in the NCAA.

On Wednesday, Brown denounced threats the board said it had received and said that he was simply standing up for one of his players.

Walker transferred to North Carolina from Kent State after the 2022 season in what was officially the second transfer of his college career. Walker first enrolled at FCS-level North Carolina Central, but the school’s 2020 football season was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.