Nebraska Basketball: Derrick Walker Suspended 16 Games By NCAA

Nebraska basketball player Derrick Walker has been suspended by the NCAA for the first 16 games of the 2020-2021 basketball season for violations that occurred while he was at the University of Tennessee.

The nature of the violations was not disclosed. I’m sure everyone can speculate. Maybe check Tennessee web sites. Dig up some rumors. No, don’t do that. Obviously Nebraska knew about the violations when he was recruited, and they were okay with it, so you can either complain about Fred Hoiberg bringing in questionable guys or trust that he’s going to make the right decisions.

Here’s to hoping the NCAA will reduce the number of games, although as slow as they move, it will probably be 16 games (or months) before they’d respond to any kind of appeal.

He’s a big guy. He could help Nebraska. Read his player profile for more information.

Here is the full statement from the Nebraska Athletic Department:

The suspension stems from a violation of team and NCAA rules that occurred while Walker was a member of the Tennessee basketball program in 2018-19. Walker sat out the 2019-20 season at Nebraska after transferring from Tennessee.

Statement from Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg

“One of the aspects I like most about coaching is the deep personal relationships and impact you have on the development of the people in your program. It is my job as the head coach at the University of Nebraska to help mold and develop my players just as much off the court as on the court. I take a lot of pride in building trusting relationships where my players know that they can come talk to me whenever they need something.

Since arriving at Nebraska, Derrick Walker has been phenomenal at owning up to a mistake he made prior to coming here. He was transparent throughout the recruiting process and acknowledged his mistake. In turn, we told him confidently we would support and fight for him.

The 16-game suspension Derrick faces is based on a normal 31-game regular season. In our opinion, the penalty should accurately reflect half of the abbreviated 2020-21 season, which is scheduled to be 27 games. We have made that case with the NCAA, but at this point the 16-game penalty stands. A lot of hard work went into this from many people at the University, and I thank them for their efforts.

Regardless of the outcome of any further appeals, we will continue to support Derrick and get him as ready as possible for when he is eligible to compete. I know Derrick is in a much better place today than when he arrived at Nebraska, and he is a valuable member of our team on and off the court.”

[Updated to Include Walker Tweet]