Tennessee fires Pruitt, 9 others for ‘serious’ NCAA issues

The Tennessee football program is starting over yet again, this time after coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine others were fired Monday for cause when an internal investigation found what the university chancellor called “serious violations of NCAA rules.”

Chancellor Donde Plowman said Pruitt was responsible for overseeing the program. Tennessee has been conducting an internal investigation since a tip Nov. 13 about alleged recruiting violations.

Also fired were two assistants and seven members of the recruiting and support staff.

“While the investigation is continuing the information provided to us indicates serious violations of NCAA rules,” Plowman said. “They occurred. These serious infractions warrant immediate action.”

Among those fired Monday were inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer and outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton, four members of the on-campus football recruiting staff, the director and assistant director of football player personnel and a football analyst/ quality control coach.

The Volunteers went 3-7 last season. Pruitt’s firing means Tennessee will be looking for its fifth different coach since the Vols last won the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title in 2007.

Attorneys from Bond,

Shoeneck & King from Kansas were retained on Nov. 19 to assist the investigation and they updated Plowman, President Randy Boyd and athletic director Phillip Fulmer about the investigation Friday.

The chancellor said the potential NCAA issues involved Level I and II violations with a number of people and incidents. Plowman said she did not know how many violations or other specifics. NCAA investigators opened a case in December and became more actively involved within the past 10 days.