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'Protected' Wall gives national interview

On the same day that University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. said he did not want a player facing eligibility questions being the subject of newspaper stories, the school's media information department made John Wall available to a USA Today reporter.

On Tuesday, reporter Marlen Garcia asked Wall about the amateurism issues that cast a cloud over his eligibility. Wall said he's been waiting five months for a resolution.

"I've just been waiting," Wall told Garcia. "It's a process you have to go through. I'm sitting back and relaxing."

In a separate interview, Patrick Patterson told Garcia he was unconcerned about Wall facing any serious consequences.

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive said last week that Wall's eligibility had not been certified.

On Tuesday, Todd twice referred to Wall as a "child" that the president wanted to "protect" from reporters.

"Why drag some child and his mother through all that because people want to sell newspapers?" Todd said.

Todd could not be reached to comment on UK's media information staff making Wall available and the story in Wednesday's USA Today. Garcia said an assistant media information staffer, John Hayden, sat in on the player interviews.

DeWayne Peevy, the head of UK's media information department, said Wall was free to make any comment he wanted.

As for Todd's wishes, Peevy said late Wednesday afternoon that he had not read the president's comments nor had he read the USA Today story. "It's hard to comment without knowing exactly what was said," Peevy said.

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