NCAA fines Tennessee, gives Vols probation, scholarship reduction and recruiting limitations

In an investigation that spanned more than a year, and a decision that took nearly 32 months to reach, the NCAA has finally ruled on their case against the University of Tennessee and head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

The NCAA on Friday announced its punishment for Tennessee, which included an $8 million fine to be paid by the University, five years of probation and a reduction of 28 scholarships in total during the probation term, along with other recruiting limitations. Pruitt received a six-year show-cause.

The Vols will also be docked 36 official visits during the five years of probation, including at least four per year. Tennessee will also have to prohibit official visits at 10 regular-season home games while on probation, four of which must be against SEC teams.

Tennessee’s self-imposed penalties have included 16 scholarship reductions over the last two years and two more this year, leaving the Vols with 10 more to be paid during the probation period. The Vols have already held two home games without official visits under the self-imposed sanctions and will have to have eight more during the probation period.

There will be a 28-week ban on recruiting communications while Tennessee is on probation, including one week each December and January and one week from March to June. The Vols were credited with 12 days in fall 2021 and eight days in spring 2022, along with any days also reduced during the 2022-23 academic year.

Along with Pruitt’s six-year show-cause, there is a five-year show-cause order for former director of recruiting Bethany Gunn, a 10-year show-cause for former assistant director of recruiting Chantryce Boone and a two-year show-cause for former defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley.

There will also be a vacation of all records from games in which student-athletes competed while ineligible.

Chancellor Donde Plowman Statement on Ruling

“Today, the NCAA Committee on Infractions announced the results of our football investigation, with no post-season ban.

I have said from the beginning that we are committed to winning with integrity. I believe we also resolved this case with integrity, always committed to holding ourselves accountable and wrong-doers responsible, while protecting the rights of student-athletes who had nothing to do with the infractions.

We recognize this was a serious case, and the penalties we received from the Committee on Infractions are consistent with what we expected and negotiated with the NCAA enforcement staff last year. Most critically, the Committee did not impose a post-season ban, which has been a central principle that we advocated for through this entire process. The Committee and the NCAA enforcement staff showed leadership in resolving this case in a way that adapted to meet the new NCAA Constitution and Bylaws and recognized our institution’s exemplary cooperation.

I appreciate the exceptional leadership of Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White, who inherited this case and has worked since his first day to resolve it in the best interest of our innocent student-athletes and the university. He and Coach Josh Heupel have transformed the culture of our athletics department, and our football program, in a very short time.

We are pleased to have this case closed. I could not be more excited about the future of Tennessee Athletics.

Statement from Tennessee Athletics

Our athletics department, including our football program, is fiercely competitive and committed to winning the right way. We have navigated this case during a significant change at the NCAA, and we are pleased with how it was ultimately resolved. We always wanted to be accountable but were unwilling to sacrifice our innocent student-athletes’ ability to play in the postseason.

The NCAA membership agreed with us, as reflected in the new constitution and bylaws.

From the outset, our top priority was protecting our student-athletes in this process and not taking away their opportunities for postseason play.

We are excited to have this case behind us and can’t wait to start the season in Nashville on September 2 against Virginia.”

Tennessee received NCAA Letter of Allegations in July 2022

Tennessee received their letter of allegations in July 2022. In the notice of allegations, the program was charged with 18 Level I infractions. Those infractions included that almost $60,000 of cash or gifts provided to players and their families by Pruitt, his wife, numerous coaches, recruiting staff, and at least one booster. 

Of the 18 Level I violations, the University’s contention surrounds the charge of failure to monitor. Because Tennessee officials took the swift action of firing everyone responsible for the violations upon learning of them, they feel the failure to monitor charge is unwarranted. One possible punishment for that violation is a post-season ban which is an ideal the University fought from the very beginning.

According Plowman, on November 13, 2020 her office received a credible allegation of a potential recruiting violation in football that the office of general counsel immediately began investigation into. Six days later, Tennessee hired the legal firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King to take the lead on the nearly year long investigation that cost the University over $1.2 million in legal fees. 
As that investigation intensified, Plowman said the day that Pruitt was fired in January 2021 that she was shocked at the depths of violations and the efforts to cover them up. 

“What is so disturbing,” Plowman said at the press conference detailing Pruitt’s firing,” as demonstrated by the scope of the employee actions we are announcing today (the firing of nine employees), is the number of violations and the number of people involved and their efforts to conceal their activities from our compliance staff and leadership within the athletic department.”

Vols went before NCAA’s Committee on Infractions in April

Unable to reach a settlement and contest the failure to monitor charge, Tennessee went before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions on April 19 and 20 in a two-day hearing that lasted over 20 hours and included Pruitt, his wife Kasey, former Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer, Plowman and assistant athletic director Tyler Johnson appearing before the committee in person. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was also there in support of his member institution. Sankey is a former committee on infractions member.

In addition to those who attended the hearing, former defensive coordinator Derek Ansley who was named in two violations was a part of the hearing via Zoom. Former recruiting employee Bethany Gunn, who is named in multiple violations, was also part of the hearing remotely. Former tight ends coach Brian Neidermeyer, who has negotiated a deal with the NCAA for his penalties, was also a participant of the hearing via Zoom. Both Gunn and Neidermeyer were fired in January 2021 along with Pruitt. All told, nine employees were terminated that month as a result of the early stages of the investigation.

Following the hearing Plowman said she was ready to move forward. 

“We are really appreciative to the infractions committee panel for their time and attention,” Plowman said following the hearing. “This was a lot of work. They are going to have to make a decision. We can’t wait to get the decision and move forward with our football program and athletics.” 

The Committee on Infractions usually makes a ruling 90 days after the completion of the hearing. Next Wednesday will mark 90 days since Tennessee left the hearing at The Westin in Cincinnati. 
The committee of infractions is a committee that’s made up of people from around the country in all walks of life. There are attorney’s, athletic department officials from all collegiate levels, former coaches like former Texas women’s basketball coach Jody Conradt, conference commissioners and a former Attorney General of the United States.

Throughout the entire process, Tennessee was completely forthcoming to the NCAA, allowing them to be a part of any investigative interviews done and by turning over all of their findings. The college athletics governing body has praised the University for how they have conducted the investigation, something Plowman noted in her statement last July after receiving the Notice of Allegations. 

“In every step of this process, we took quick and decisive actions that exemplified the longstanding values of the NCAA reiterated in the membership’s new constitution. The university hired outside counsel to fully investigate allegations about the football program, acted promptly to terminate the employment of football coaches and staff members, and shared our conclusions with the NCAA enforcement staff.

“The NCAA Division I Board of Directors recently endorsed significant reforms to the infractions process proposed by the Transformation Committee, including clearly and meaningfully incentivizing the type of responsive institutional actions we took in this case – self-detection and reporting, self-accountability, and the active involvement of the institution’s chief executive. The NCAA enforcement staff recognized the university’s “exemplary cooperation” in the case and stated that “[t]he actions taken by the institution during the investigation should be the standard for any institutional inquiries into potential violations.”

Tennessee fought postseason ban as a commitment to protect current and future players

In Josh Heupel’s first season, Tennessee won seven games and became bowl eligible. University officials, along with athletic director Danny White, made a decision not to self-impose a bowl ban, feeling it was unfair to that current team, coaches and staff because they did not have any involvement with the allegations against Pruitt and his program. “While we will take appropriate responsibility,” Plowman said in her statement last July, “last fall, the university announced that we will not self-impose penalties that harm innocent student-athletes like postseason bans based upon the actions of coaches and staff who are no longer part of the institution. Under the NCAA’s new constitution, rules “must ensure to the greatest extent possible that penalties imposed for infractions do not punish programs or student-athletes not involved or implicated in the infraction(s).”

It should be noted that Tennessee officials have never said there should not be punishment for the wrongdoing. The stance by the Vols is that the punishment should in no way affect current student-athletes.

“As a University, we understand the need to take responsibility for what occurred, but we remain committed to protecting our current and future student-athletes,” White said it a statement following the notice of allegations.