This is Knoxville - home of the good old boy network and crazy politics. The decision was made to give the new Chancellor the authority to make the hire and she did. No one can blame Davenport for this. DiPietro and the BOT mismanaged the PR, timeline, and decision making process from the beginning of Hart's announcement, but when did that group manage anything well? Why would this be different?
Fulmer should know better. Regardless of what he did or didn't do and Majors did or didn't do, he got his coaching job through the politics and same old network. He was then part of it for years only for the favor to be returned when he was fired. For him to expect it to go differently this time is silly. Fulmer and Majors obviously don't get along. There are still plenty of the old guard around that have always sided with Johnny, so despite Fulmer's championships, to them it was justice when he was fired. Those people are thrilled Fulmer wasn't hired.
As someone who works in politics in this town, though I'm a nobody, I've seen plenty of wrongs, rights, hurt, etc. It's the way it is. My guess is Davenport, the BOT, and President wanted an AD who had a backbone and would stand up to the network. It stinks that Fulmer was treated the way he was, but unless Davenport, DiPietro, or the Governor called him, it didn't count. We have too many people around here jockeying for power trying to be more important than they are instead of just trying to be supportive to the folks in charge. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just pointing out how it is.
I'm sure Currie has made plenty of enemies, but you don't raise the kind of money he has in his career by being a total a** all the time. So maybe he just has a pair - good for him. Give the guy a chance.