Victory Vaka, a WKU defensive lineman recently removed from the team following the death of his mother and after the team said he failed to report, has released a statement detailing his perspective on the situation.
Posted Saturday to @victoryvaka on Instagram, the statement includes a timeline leading up to Vaka’s removal and his thoughts on the controversy spurred by a CBS Sports article published last week.
The Herald reached out and sent an additional follow-up to WKU Athletics Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and Media Relations Jared McDonald to clarify information and provide a statement, but received no response by the time of publication. The Herald also reached out to Vaka, who declined to provide a comment.
The timeline Vaka posted begins on April 2, the day his mother, Sarah Mataele, “unexpectedly passed away”. On April 3, Vaka returned home to California to grieve with his family until April 12, when he flew to Bowling Green to meet with professors and coaches.
While at WKU, Vaka spoke with his position coach and the head coach, Tyson Helton. According to the statement, his participation on the team for the spring semester was over since practices and the spring game had ended.
“I was under the impression that I would finish my classes online and return in the summer,” Vaka’s statement said.
He then returned to California on April 17 to continue arrangements surrounding his mother’s passing. The family had originally planned to hold Mataele’s funeral on April 25, but had to be pushed until delays with her life insurance were resolved.
According to the statement, Vaka had a FaceTime call with the team’s assistant strength coach on May 1. During the call, Vaka said they discussed the spring semester, his workout plan while he was away, his goals for the summer and the team scheduled to report for summer workouts on May 25.
According to Vaka, he was told that the team was not expecting him back until June, with no specific return date set.
“…At no point did I ever tell anyone that I wasn’t planning on returning,” he said in his statement. “My focus was on preparing for my mom’s funeral and getting back to Bowling Green in June.”
Vaka said that following the FaceTime conversation, he received no communication from the football staff about a return date or any warning that an absence on May 25 would jeopardize his scholarship and his continuing football career.
“During the most difficult time of my life, not one member of the coaching staff reached out to check on my well-being or ask how I was doing after losing my mom,” Vaka said in his statement.
According to the statement, Mataele’s life insurance was approved on May 4, allowing Vaka’s family to hold the funeral on May 9 after the insurance funds were deposited a day before.
The timeline said Vaka’s position coach called and texted Vaka asking his location the day summer workouts began. Vaka’s statement said he explained that he believed he wasn’t expected until June and “I still wasn’t emotionally ready after everything that happened.”
According to the statement, Vaka received a call from Chief of Football Staff Travis Taylor on May 26, asking when Vaka wanted to return. Vaka said he asked if he could return on June 14 so he could attend his brother’s college graduation and his sister’s promotion to high school ceremony.
According to his statement, Vaka made it clear that he was willing to return before then if the team needed him back sooner. Taylor told Vaka he would receive a call back from him.
The next day, May 27, the statement said Taylor informed Vaka that his athletic scholarship would not be renewed. Vaka said in his statement that he never refused to return to WKU or told anyone he was leaving the program since he was fully committed to returning to play in the fall.
To close his statement, Vaka said making the matter public was never something he or his agent Jaykwon Jefferson wanted, “(pursuing) every available avenue” to handle the situation privately.
CBS Sports reported that on May 27, Jefferson spoke with Taylor, who said Vaka would not be in a position to play after his two-month offseason absence.
Vaka told CBS Sports he had planned to enter the transfer portal to use his last year of player eligibility through the National Collegiate Athletic Association aid reduction or cancellation exemption. But CBS Sports reported that his dismissal was classified as a “failure to report,” resulting in a disciplinary dismissal that doesn’t qualify for exemption use under NCAA policy.
According to CBS Sports, Vaka filed an NCAA Legislative Relief Waiver to waive existing policy due to extenuating circumstances and was denied. He attempted to appeal the NCAA’s decision, but was also denied.
Vaka said in his statement that the efforts to find a solution felt one-sided and left him with no options other than to bring attention to his situation.
“My hope has never been to attack anyone,” Vaka said in his statement. “My hope has always been to find a fair resolution that allows me to use the final year of eligibility I’ve earned and finish my college football career.”
