NCAA Free CHRIS Walker

Athlete

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reason, as the NCAA sure got JFF's case squared away in record time! Via Franz Beard here is a copy of a letter sent to the NCAA's President Emmert on Walker's behalf by Nadine Long, who helped raised Chris:

FREE CHRIS WALKER!

Mr. Beard,

Please, please help me get this URGENT MESSAGE below to the President of the NCAA regarding CHRIS WALKER. Every word is true and first hand knowledge. I'm not sure the email address I found on the internet is accurate. Thank you so much for your help! -Nadine Long)

Sent from my iPhone

January 12, 2014

Dear Mr. Emmert,

My sincerest hope is that I am not out of line in sending you this letter. However, it has been very painful for me to watch the situation with the NCAA and Chris Walker, a young man who has overcome so many challenges and negative situations in life to actually be where he is today. I have a very close relationship with him and his family as his self proclaimed Godmom. I can honestly tell you that Chris was certainly not groomed for the success he has achieved as a student athlete. His God Appointed Parent (GAP), Jeneen Campbell, his school, and not anyone in the whole community was prepared for Chris' level of success. I am sure mistakes were made, but I can honestly tell you from having first hand knowledge, that nothing was done to deliberately violate NCAA rules and certainly no profits were gained by Chris Walker and/or Jeneen, who currently sleeps on the floor in a subsidized home in Ocala where she moved the family just to be close to Chris at UF. You see, Chris undeniably has abandonment issues. After being abandoned by his biological parents, the grandmother, who raised him from a baby, died when he was just 12. He literally ended up with only the clothes on his back on the door steps of his grandmother's close friend, Jeneen Campbell, a chronically ill mother of three, who lives on a fixed income. Although her income was fixed and the family struggled day to day, Jeneen's love was boundless, and she sacrificed and cared for Chris as if he were her own child.

When I first met Chris in 2008, he was playing local AAU basketball and catching the eye of small town local AAU coaches. I was directing a small AAU organization myself in an effort to mentor local youth and keep them out of trouble. During the summer of 2009, I got a call from a much bigger AAU program than what we had in our area, the Georgia Blazers. Tony Adams, who was the program director at the time pleaded with me to bring Chris to his team practice in Columbus, GA which was a three hour drive one way 2 weekends out of the month. I called Jeneen, who was reluctant to let him go with me at first because she was very protective of him and at that time she did not know me well. Unfortunately, Jeneen was very sick at the time; and she also did not have the transportation, nor did she have the financial means to get him to Columbus. However, Jeneen wanted Chris to have every opportunity to succeed in life; and so she trusted me with him. On the journeys to and from AAU practice, I came to know and love this young man, who has a big heart, an incredible sense of loyalty, and a wonderful sense of humor. Chris loves the game of basketball and he is an extremely gifted athlete. Over the years, he constantly worked at getting better, even though playing AAU created a serious financial struggle for him and his family. Chris was the star player , but he would often go off to practice and tournaments with no money for food or snacks. It took every penny Jeneen had to just take care of things for Chris and the other children at home. As I grew closer to Chris and the family, my husband and I began to give Chris money for tournaments, and also help Jeneen with other expenses associated with travel ball.

The better Chris played, the bigger his name got in the AAU circuit. It seemed like everybody wanted to get their hands on him. Big time, well to do coaches from all over the tri-state area of Florida, Alabama and Georgia were offering to take him into their homes and put him in private school. Although the giant 6'10"� 15 year old kid lived in cramped quarters with Jeneen and the rest of the children in a small wood frame, two bedroom house where his head nearly touched the ceiling, his loyalty to his family, his public school and his small community never wavered. Although as I watch him go through this ordeal, I sometimes feel that we let him down in so many ways.

In early fall of 2010, Chris was spending the weekend at my home with me and my twins boys who he played high school basketball against. Off the court, Chris was a big clown and fun to be around, and my children loved having him around although they were high school basketball rivals. Chris came to me very concerned about a tournament called Next Level in Orlando that he was selected to play in along with other top Florida high school basketball players. He said it was important for him to be there, but it was 5 hours away by car. I agreed to take him, and that is where he met Matt Ramker, who later convinced Jeneen to let Chris play for his team, the Florida Rams. I am aware of the controversy surrounding Matt Ramker. However, if anyone profited financially from Chris playing basketball, it certainly was NOT Chris and Jeneen. My husband and I continued to help Jeneen financially even to the point of helping her purchase airplane tickets to elite tournaments, so that Chris would not be without the family support that he so desperately needed. I even attended his final tournaments, the McDonald's All-American and the Jordan Classic in Chicago and New York. What was striking about the tournaments to me was that a large majority of the so called elite high school players were from middle to upper class, stable family backgrounds and/or private schools. I recall Chris sitting on the side of the bed in the hotel room dressed in the tuxedo furnished by the McDonald's Corp. just before the banquet, and he said, looking up to the ceiling with big, wide eyes, and shaking his head in disbelief, "I can't believe I made it here."� I told him that greatness was in him and that he deserved to be there. In light of his many struggles, I felt like he deserved to be there more than anyone.

Because of his deep sense of commitment and loyalty, he feels as though he has let everyone down, especially Coach Donovan and his UF teammates. Chris and his mother, Jeneen are very proud; so there are not many people who know as well as I do the extent of the family's struggles. I can honestly tell you that Chris and Jeneen has profited nothing over the years that he could possibly give away to charity. Actually, the family could use a little charity. As well, if given half a chance, Chris Walker will achieve greatness one day, and with a heart like his, I am confident such greatness will translate into charity for many.

I am writing to you because I refuse to believe that the NCAA is some cold regulatory machine that has no compassion for the individual student athletes over whom it governs. If you need to contact me, my cell phone number is XXXXX (blocked for privacy concerns) or you may reach me at work at XXXX. I sincerely thank you for your consideration.

Very truly yours,

Nadine Long

Marianna, FL