Should the Volunteers leadership have tried to hide the recruiting violations?

[VFL-82-JP]

It has been said on this board a few different times that our program should've hidden the violations, tried to skate past outside notice.

Frequently, when that assertion is made, it is accompanied by hints that the only reason we acknowledged the scandal was to fire Pruitt for cause, avoiding any buyout.

Like this, from Chatta420:

Most of us belibe that they administration should’ve kept the violations under wraps amd negotiated a reduced buyout with Pruitt. That would’ve allowed us to go after freeze. But what’s done is done. Time to focus on the future and we definitely hired an exciting offensive coach. Let’s see what happens

I don't believe Chatta420 is right. I don't think most of us do believe that would have been the right thing to do. But that's why this poll exists; to find out.

So this poll is about both those issues. What do you think?

 

[RockyTop140]

I believe they did this because they were genuinely embarrassed by what Pruitt and the staff were up to and wanted to do the right thing. But I’m sure the no buyout had some to do with it as well. It’s tough to say for sure, but either way I think they did the right thing.

 

[Behr]

IMHO, They did the right thing but I can't say their main motivation was to get out of paying a buyout. I'd like to think it was just a benefit and would have reported either way.

 

[GAVol]

I don’t see how you can look at the situation and think the buyout didn’t enter into the equation. There are too many examples the past few years where it seems to behoove the schools under investigation to just tell the ncaa to pound sand.

 

[BlinghamptonVol]

That’s a tough question. I definitely don’t think there should have been a cover-up, but working with the NCAA has rarely proven beneficial. It seems the NCAA hasn’t been appreciative in the past when schools come forward with violations, yet seemingly do little when the school doesn’t cooperate. I don’t know the answer, but I wish there was a middle ground between the two, where you don’t deny everything and make up excuses (the unc academic fraud should be an embarrassment to all unc grads), but also don’t get hammered for being honest. Maybe this time will be different with the NCAA. I am definitely glad we didn’t cover it up, and I’m glad Pruitt is gone.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

IMHO, They did the right thing but I can't say their main motivation was to get out of paying a buyout. I'd like to think it was just a benefit and would have reported either way.

It's a good point. If I'd been less lazy, I could've divided the answers up even more, included a no-motivation, partial-motivation, and primary-motivation responses for both possibilities. Surely it didn't hurt the Chancellor and President's feelings that doing the right thing came with the benefit of not having to pay the guy millions of dollars to not coach in Knoxville.

 

[VolGirl81]

I think they should have reported the violations, but perhaps, done the investigation without announcing it to the world until they saw what they were dealing with. Not saying to hide it, but could of handled the beginning a little better. IMO, the Pruitt buyout was an afterthought once the ball was rolling.

 

[GAVol]

Still tough to answer until we know the full scope of the violations and the penalty.

 

[utvolpj]

Yes they should have done what schools like UNC and LSU did. I don't think what we did was worth $12mil in the long run

Of course we're UT so you also ran the risk of being an example and getting the dreaded lack of institutional control because that's how we roll.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Still tough to answer until we know the full scope of the violations and the penalty.

Agreed. But this poll isn't about knowing...it's about impressions. Well, the first part is about values: what's the right thing to do...the second part is about our impressions of why the leadership acted as they did.

 

[SpookyAction]

When the rot became known, the idea of a payout after termination would have brought down the whole administration. I can't think of a better strategy than what they did for UT.

 

[Tarkus]

Once the chancellor received information of serious violations, the buyout was a moot point. The school had to move forward with the investigation because it was eventually going to leak anyway and if word got out that the chancellor knew about it and did nothing, Tennessee wouldn't have a leg to stand on with the NCAA.

 

[AstonRoyal]

I’ve met donde a few times and have friends who work for her doing admin stuff. She doesn’t strike me as the type to be conniving or manipulative. By all accounts she’s genuine and has integrity so I don’t think it was just to get out of a buyout.

That or... she’s REALLY good lol

 

[Behr]

Still tough to answer until we know the full scope of the violations and the penalty.

Why is it tough to answer?

 

[utvolpj]

I’ve met donde a few times and have friends who work for her doing admin stuff. She doesn’t strike me as the type to be conniving or manipulative. By all accounts she’s genuine and has integrity so I don’t think it was just to get out of a buyout.

That or... she’s REALLY good lol

Sadly, genuine with integrity doesn't work with college sports.

 

[SockeyeVol]

Having seen the press conferences, it feels like this was one of those decisions where a couple of major elements drove the decision. Not a fussy decision matrix with multiple issues being weighed on different sides of the ledger.

Terrible gameday results, dozens of violations that could not now be unseen, and an obvious loss of institutional control seem like the clear drivers here. Saving some buyout $$ is a potential side benefit.

And yes, it was the right thing to do. Better to rip the band aid than let this one fester for two years amid the same on-field culture. We don't know what we have now, but at least it's different.

 

[LexVol71]

I can't believe the University's "leadership", specifically meaning University President Randy Boyd and Chancellor Donde Plowman, are anything other than high-integrity people who are committed to doing the right things for all the right reasons. I have no reason to believe that either of these individuals would be any part of causing harm to UT by lying or withholding information to the NCAA or anyone else.

 

[AstonRoyal]

Sadly, genuine with integrity doesn't work with college sports.

Well I guess it’s a good thing she’s in academics and not athletics lol

 

[Otis1105]

Well I guess it’s a good thing she’s in academics and not athletics lol

Well she certainly was involved in athletics for this investigation... so maybe she’s not involved in athletics day to day.. but what happens if she gets another whiff of violations? Or do you think that Huepel is going to run the only clean program in the sec? If so... watch out candy there will be some competition for the bottom spot!

 

[zaqhhh]

I think we did the right thing but I 100% believe we did it to get rid of Pruitt not for altruistic reasons (which is fine cause Pruitt needed to go).

 

[LWSVOL]

It has been said on this board a few different times that our program should've hidden the violations, tried to skate past outside notice.

Frequently, when that assertion is made, it is accompanied by hints that the only reason we acknowledged the scandal was to fire Pruitt for cause, avoiding any buyout.

Like this, from Chatta420:


I don't believe Chatta420 is right. I don't think most of us do believe that would have been the right thing to do. But that's why this poll exists; to find out.

So this poll is about both those issues. What do you think?

I don't have an opinion right now.

My issue is I don't know the severity of the violations. If the violations are severe, the administration tried to hide them and the NCAA found it later on, potential death penalty..

We know double figure level 1 violations but how severe? payments of a $100 or $1000? Big difference.. 12 violations or 35 violations of level 1? Big difference...

 

[uncle chewii]

I don't have an opinion right now.

My issue is I don't know the severity of the violations. If the violations are severe, the administration tried to hide them and the NCAA found it later on, potential death penalty..

We know double figure level 1 violations but how severe? payments of a $100 or $1000? Big difference.. 12 violations or 35 violations of level 1? Big difference...

Payment to players is a big violation and since that is what was leaked and found then if the schools administration would have swept that under the rug then our penalty would be more severe than what it will be especially if Pruitt would have stayed because it was looking like he was going too. I think that is why Fulmer retired, Pruitt was fired and no one from the program was named Interim. The admins tried to distance themselves as much as they could as quick as they could. I believe with we will get hit with some scholarship reductions and maybe post season ban/vacate wins if players came here and got paid. I think that if Pruitt would have been kept and Fulmer kept and it all comes out true then we would get hit harder.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

If they didn't blow the whistle on themselves, someone else was going to do it.

 

[GAVol]

I don't have an opinion right now.

My issue is I don't know the severity of the violations. If the violations are severe, the administration tried to hide them and the NCAA found it later on, potential death penalty..

We know double figure level 1 violations but how severe? payments of a $100 or $1000? Big difference.. 12 violations or 35 violations of level 1? Big difference...

Exactly what I was saying earlier. It’s hard to have an opinion until we know the scope. This could be anything from $100 handshakes to an SMU style payroll. We just don’t know. I need to know whether this was No Harm No Foul type stuff or rogue boosters and a complete lack of control.

 

[Majors]

Exactly what I was saying earlier. It’s hard to have an opinion until we know the scope. This could be anything from $100 handshakes to an SMU style payroll. We just don’t know. I need to know whether this was No Harm No Foul type stuff or rogue boosters and a complete lack of control.

We've been playing the game for awhile. It seems we've either not been able to sustain or we got sloppy in who knew and how we conducted business. Your last line is telling and seems to be in play.