re: Smear campaign against Pruitt will blow up UT instead

I admire your commitment to being a retard. I am highly anticipating your reply.

No one cares.

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By focusing on Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee is playing dangerous game with the NCAA | Estes

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LINKWhile watching the University of Tennessee’s press conference Monday afternoon, there was something that I'll bet you kept wondering, as I did.

What exactly did Jeremy Pruitt and his staff members do?

Chancellor Donde Plowman said a lot, but not that. She said she couldn’t give specifics yet.

Take her word for it, though, it was bad.

She said Pruitt and company committed “a significant number of serious NCAA rules violations.” She said the number of staffers involved and the number of incidents was “stunning” and “shocking.” She said that Tennessee is “looking at Level 1 and Level 2 violations.” Plural.

VOLS INVESTIGATION: Here's everything we know about Tennessee football probe

JEREMY PRUITT'S RESPONSE: Coach's lawyer says firing was 'orchestrated effort' by Tennessee

Tennessee’s press conference, in this way, seemed a means to an end. The university had a plan of attack – to bolster its stance that Pruitt was fired for cause because he violated his contract to the extent that he’s not owed his buyout.


In advance of a legal fight with Pruitt, it was to UT’s benefit to describe its findings of rule-breaking as grave and indisputable.

I’m not suggesting they aren’t. Sounds like this could end up being a major scandal with lasting repercussions.

But that’s why Monday’s performance was woefully short-sighted.

Does no one at Tennessee see that while throwing Pruitt under the bus to save money, the university is playing a dangerous game with the NCAA and threatening its own football program’s future?


When Pruitt is gone, the prospect of an ugly infractions case will linger. Tennessee might have to try to fend off the NCAA enforcement wolves at some point.

It’s hard to do that if you’ve already made their case for them.

One of the great flaws in NCAA enforcement is that the schools who play nice and own up to misdeeds aren't always rewarded for their cooperation. Of late, colleges have started to realize that a more effective playbook is to stonewall, fight everything, admit nothing and make an enforcement staff that is stretched thin have to invest time and resources to prove allegations.


Note that the University of Tennessee’s chancellor didn’t call them allegations, though. She has already admitted on the record that they happened.

"The information presented to us indicates serious violations of NCAA rules — they occurred — and that these serious infractions warrant immediate action,” she said.


A school gains nothing by assigning seriousness in the front end. Make the NCAA conclude that it’s serious. You’re better off downplaying and trying to convince the NCAA that it’s not.

How can UT go in front of the NCAA committee on infractions and make a case that the football program’s apparent violations are anything less than “stunning” and “shocking” and “serious,” when that is how Plowman described them?


What if UT wants to later argue that Level 1 rules weren’t violated after all? The school has already said that they happened, and more than one, too.

The same goes for prospective coaches. How can Tennessee sell its program to job candidates after sounding the alarm as it did Monday?

Those coaches are going to look at this and see a university that wasn’t willing to stand up for its coach. But even worse, they’re going to see a university that wasn’t willing to stand up for its program — and they'll have an understandably healthy fear of any upcoming NCAA case that is “serious," basically unwinnable and could linger for years before it is resolved.

Sports Illustrated obtained a six-page letter that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent to the NCAA in December that was critical of lengthy delays in the enforcement process, largely caused by increased caseload from the FBI basketball investigation.

“Across Division I, we are now experiencing numerous high-profile infractions matters that have lingered for more than three years prior to any outcome being publicly announced,” Sankey wrote. “To my knowledge, several of these matters are not close to completion. The current timelines must be viewed as unacceptable.”

If the threat of a rough verdict drags on for years, the impact on recruiting efforts can prove more damaging than the actual punishment.

If that happens, no amount of cash the Vols saved on Pruitt’s buyout now is going to be worth the long-term cost to the football team's success.

UT officials should consider that, and I’m not sure they have.

quote:

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LINKWhile watching the University of Tennessee’s press conference Monday afternoon, there was something that I'll bet you kept wondering, as I did.

What exactly did Jeremy Pruitt and his staff members do?

Chancellor Donde Plowman said a lot, but not that. She said she couldn’t give specifics yet.

Take her word for it, though, it was bad.

She said Pruitt and company committed “a significant number of serious NCAA rules violations.” She said the number of staffers involved and the number of incidents was “stunning” and “shocking.” She said that Tennessee is “looking at Level 1 and Level 2 violations.” Plural.

VOLS INVESTIGATION: Here's everything we know about Tennessee football probe

JEREMY PRUITT'S RESPONSE: Coach's lawyer says firing was 'orchestrated effort' by Tennessee

Tennessee’s press conference, in this way, seemed a means to an end. The university had a plan of attack – to bolster its stance that Pruitt was fired for cause because he violated his contract to the extent that he’s not owed his buyout.


In advance of a legal fight with Pruitt, it was to UT’s benefit to describe its findings of rule-breaking as grave and indisputable.

I’m not suggesting they aren’t. Sounds like this could end up being a major scandal with lasting repercussions.

But that’s why Monday’s performance was woefully short-sighted.

Does no one at Tennessee see that while throwing Pruitt under the bus to save money, the university is playing a dangerous game with the NCAA and threatening its own football program’s future?


When Pruitt is gone, the prospect of an ugly infractions case will linger. Tennessee might have to try to fend off the NCAA enforcement wolves at some point.

It’s hard to do that if you’ve already made their case for them.

One of the great flaws in NCAA enforcement is that the schools who play nice and own up to misdeeds aren't always rewarded for their cooperation. Of late, colleges have started to realize that a more effective playbook is to stonewall, fight everything, admit nothing and make an enforcement staff that is stretched thin have to invest time and resources to prove allegations.


Note that the University of Tennessee’s chancellor didn’t call them allegations, though. She has already admitted on the record that they happened.

"The information presented to us indicates serious violations of NCAA rules — they occurred — and that these serious infractions warrant immediate action,” she said.


A school gains nothing by assigning seriousness in the front end. Make the NCAA conclude that it’s serious. You’re better off downplaying and trying to convince the NCAA that it’s not.

How can UT go in front of the NCAA committee on infractions and make a case that the football program’s apparent violations are anything less than “stunning” and “shocking” and “serious,” when that is how Plowman described them?


What if UT wants to later argue that Level 1 rules weren’t violated after all? The school has already said that they happened, and more than one, too.

The same goes for prospective coaches. How can Tennessee sell its program to job candidates after sounding the alarm as it did Monday?

Those coaches are going to look at this and see a university that wasn’t willing to stand up for its coach. But even worse, they’re going to see a university that wasn’t willing to stand up for its program — and they'll have an understandably healthy fear of any upcoming NCAA case that is “serious," basically unwinnable and could linger for years before it is resolved.

Sports Illustrated obtained a six-page letter that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent to the NCAA in December that was critical of lengthy delays in the enforcement process, largely caused by increased caseload from the FBI basketball investigation.

“Across Division I, we are now experiencing numerous high-profile infractions matters that have lingered for more than three years prior to any outcome being publicly announced,” Sankey wrote. “To my knowledge, several of these matters are not close to completion. The current timelines must be viewed as unacceptable.”

If the threat of a rough verdict drags on for years, the impact on recruiting efforts can prove more damaging than the actual punishment.

If that happens, no amount of cash the Vols saved on Pruitt’s buyout now is going to be worth the long-term cost to the football team's success.

UT officials should consider that, and I’m not sure they have.

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Everything about this mess stinks from the head of the UT administration. I don't believe UT. I think Pruitt will win in court and UT will crash and burn like the Hindenburg.

Damn you’re always angry, but please, carry on. It’s funny watching you come unglued here :)

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Damn you’re always angry, but please, carry on. It’s funny watching you come unglued here :)

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You have confused stating facts with anger.

You should seek help for that.

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Everything about this mess stinks from the head of the UT administration. I don't believe UT. I think Pruitt will win in court

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No you don’t. You honestly don’t know enough to form an honest opinion if you don’t believe the press conference. But let’s think this through from your point of view. Why would the university do this if it’s not legitimate? To avoid a buy out? The fund used for buyouts is currently paying 1 assistant coach now and could handle 18,000,000 over 5 years if the university just wanted him gone or they could have negotiated the buyouts down using the investigation as leverage. Money isn’t the issue, if it was it could have been negotiated down. And in the long term the NCAA penalties and harm from an investigation and potential harm to basketball and baseball is far greater that the 18,000,000 in potential buyouts. And Tennessee has previously shown it’s not afraid to pay a buyout or 12. The state of Tennessee is a very red state with a balanced budget (even with COVID-19 its strong financially) so it’s university system, especially its flagship university is strong. Their is literally no reason to fake a very public investigation to remove a coach.

Damn Skippy that 14 in a row has you really down and out.

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Their is literally no reason to fake a very public investigation to remove a coach.

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Why are you so confused about this as proven by consistently describing it as “fake”?

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The same goes for prospective coaches. How can Tennessee sell its program to job candidates after sounding the alarm as it did Monday? Those coaches are going to look at this and see a university that wasn’t willing to stand up for its coach. But even worse, they’re going to see a university that wasn’t willing to stand up for its program — and they'll have an understandably healthy fear of any upcoming NCAA case that is “serious," basically unwinnable and could linger for years before it is resolved.

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