NC Republicans oppose NCAA decision on NC State, ‘inconsistency’ in health concerns

A years-long feud between North Carolina Republicans and the NCAA resurfaced over the weekend, as party leaders protested the organization’s decision Saturday to declare N.C. State’s baseball game against Vanderbilt a no-contest and eliminate the Wolfpack from College World Series championship contention.

The NCAA made the decision with the Douglas County Health Department in Omaha, Nebraska, where the tournament is being played. The Wolfpack was deemed unable to compete after several players tested positive for COVID-19.

But in a post on social media just hours after the decision was made, former Gov. Pat McCrory called it “absurd.”

McCrory, who is running in the Republican primary election for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, started an online petition demanding that the NCAA president be fired and the Wolfpack be allowed to compete.

NCAA President Mark Emmert, who McCrory did not reference by name, has led the NCAA since 2010. He was previously the president of the University of Washington.

Other prominent N.C. Republicans, including state House Speaker Tim Moore, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, have also spoken out against the NCAA’s decision.

‘No consistency in their health concerns’

In an interview with The News & Observer on Sunday, McCrory said the NCAA’s decisions “have been extremely inconsistent regarding the virus.”

He pointed to fans being allowed into the stadium without masks or tests for the virus, as well as the differing policies on mask requirements for coaches and players.

“You wonder if this is all just political inconsistency by the NCAA and many elected officials,” he said. “Does the virus recognize the difference between a coach and a player? Between the fans and the players?”

McCrory said he does not object to fans being allowed into the stadium, but said not testing them while setting different requirements for the players is inconsistent.

“You wonder if it’s often about money,” he said. “Well, that’s not even a question anymore. It’s about their money.”

The NCAA’s COVID-19 protocols had impacted the team even ahead of their disqualification, leaving the Wolfpack short several players in their Friday loss against Vanderbilt.

In a press conference after the game, Coach Elliott Avent said he was unsure why some players could play and others could not, The N&O reported.

“Quite frankly I have no understanding of what happened today,” he said.

The NCAA’s COVID-19 protocols for championship games state that participating teams must have a negative antigen test within one day of arrival, or a negative PCR test within two days of arrival for all players, coaches, and staff. (An antigen test is quicker and less expensive than a PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, test, but the antigen test is more likely to miss an infection, The News & Observer previously reported.)

Teams are tested every other day while participating on-site, though the NCAA said fully vaccinated players and others with no symptoms may be exempt from routine testing.

But the organization said if state or local officials require testing of vaccinated individuals, these policies would be overridden.

The NCAA said Saturday the decision to cancel the game was made “based on the recommendations of the championship medical team and the Douglas County Health Department.”

McCrory said the way the NCAA handled the announcement — which was first made in a tweet just after 2 a.m. Saturday — was “cowardly.”

“You’re dealing with lives, not just the athletes, but the families too,” he said. “And again, I understand the health concern, but there’s no consistency.”

“If they had some consistency in the application of rules, maybe they would be credible,” McCrory added. “But they don’t, which you wonder: how much of this is for appearance and nothing more?”

Historic feud between NCAA and NC Republicans

When asked about NCAA leadership, McCrory said Emmert has been “very political and extremely inconsistent in what politics he gets involved in.”

“The NCAA has been behind the times for decades now,” he said.

McCrory said the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling against the NCAA last week was one example of this.

The nation’s highest court said in a 9-0 vote that the NCAA could not limit education-related benefits that colleges can offer to student athletes.

But McCrory also referred to a former dispute between state Republicans and the NCAA — a lengthy back-and-forth in 2016 and 2017 in which the organization moved championship events out of the state and threatened to withhold future ones unless the state repealed the controversial House Bill 2.

The bill, passed by the General Assembly in 2016 and signed into law by McCrory, was written in response to a Charlotte ordinance that, among other things, protected transgender people who use public restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

HB2 made it illegal for cities to expand on the state’s workplace discrimination laws, effectively nullifying the Charlotte ordinance and others like it, while also requiring people in schools and other government buildings to use the bathroom matching the gender on their birth certificate. Critics warned the move would have severe consequences for LGBTQ people around the state.

“Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships,” Emmert said in a statement while HB2 was in place. “We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships.”

The bill was mostly repealed in 2017, after mounting national opposition.

But McCrory said the NCAA has not been consistent with its engagement on political issues.

“They boycotted North Carolina over a political issue,” he said. “And yet, they continue to have relationships with other states and China and Nike.”

“They’re in bed with Nike, who is in bed with China,” he added. “It’s amazing inconsistency.”

NC Republicans weigh in on social media

In a tweet following the decision, Moore said the NCAA was “wrong in disqualifying the NC State Baseball Team and denying the team a chance at the national championship.”

He added that the team would be invited to the N.C. state House to honor their “incredible sportsmanship.”

Bishop called the NCAA “an embarrassment.”

“The pandemic is over,” he wrote in a social media post Saturday. “This arbitrary decision to end the Wolfpack’s season off the field was wrong on every level.”

“The NCAA has once again embarrassed itself,” Tillis said on Facebook. “The players, coaches, students, and fans deserve so much better.”

This story was originally published June 27, 2021 at 3:55 PM with the headline "NC Republicans oppose NCAA decision on NC State, ‘inconsistency’ in health concerns."