Tennessee AD Danny White issues sharp rebuke of NCAA amid investigation into NIL

In the wake of an NCAA investigation into the Tennessee program, athletics director Danny White has released a statement on the matter, accusing the NCAA of moving the goal posts.

White’s brief statement touched on a number of topics, including the NCAA breaking its own rules about commenting on infractions cases.

“The NCAA generally does not comment on infractions cases because there is a rule against it; however, that has not stopped them in the past from leaking information to the media as they did this week about us,” White wrote in his statement. “Their actions made this ill-conceived investigation public and forced us to defend ourselves. It is clear that the NCAA staff does not understand what is happening at the campus level all over the country in the NIL space.”

Tennessee is one of a handful of programs to come under NCAA scrutiny, ostensibly over its recruitment of star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Florida is under similar investigation for its recruitment of quarterback Jaden Rashada.

Florida State, meanwhile, was penalized for an assistant coach arranging contact with an NIL collective.

Given the existing guidelines at the time, White believes Tennessee was in full compliance with all rules and regulations.

“After reviewing thousands of Tennessee coach and personnel phone records, NCAA investigators didn’t find a single NIL violation, so they moved the goalpost to fit a predetermined outcome,” White wrote. “They are stating that the nebulous, contradictory NIL guidelines (written by the NCAA not the membership) don’t matter and applying the old booster bylaws to collectives.

“If that’s the case, then 100% of the major programs in college athletics have significant violations. This is obviously silly and not productive, as is blaming the membership whenever they are challenged.”

White called on the NCAA to take a more productive tack, working to craft sensible legislation on the issues at hand.

“We need to be spending our time and energy on solutions to better organize college athletics in the NIL era — something that NCAA leadership failed to do back in 2021,” White wrote. “Student-athletes, prospective student-athletes, coaches, and administrators across the country deserve better, and I refuse to allow the NCAA to irrationally use Tennessee as an example for their own agenda.”