Tennessee athletic director Danny White issued a statement Friday after the NCAA slammed the program with 18 infractions under former Volunteers coach Jeremy Pruitt in a new notice of allegations.
In a 51-page document obtained by Sports Illustrated through a public records request, Pruitt, his wife and several members on the Tennessee football team gave out nearly $60,000 of impermissible benefits and recruiting inducements to more than 24 athletes and their families during a three-year period.
White said the NCAA’s notice of allegations to the Volunteers’ program was “expected” as the university works “proactively through decisive and transparent actions.”
“This moves us one step closer to a final resolution,” White said in the statement. “Until we get to that point, I am unable to discuss the case in any detail. 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.”
Per the notice of allegations, all of the infractions have been considered a Level I, the most serious among the NCAA’s scale of infractions. Among the most shocking of the infractions was when Pruitt and his staff hosted at least six prospects and their families on nine weekend unofficial visits during the yearlong dead period, providing them with lodging, meals, transportation, household goods and even furniture that totaled $12,000.
While Tennessee received 18 Level I infractions based on the NCAA’s 18-month investigation, the program managed to steer clear from being hit with the “lack of institutional control” due to its “transparency and integrity in promptly handling the wrongdoing,” per NCAA documents. Last season, Tennessee lost 12 scholarships and imposed a sundry of recruiting penalties in the program, according to SI.
Last season, the Volunteers finished 7-6 overall, 4-4 in conference play and third in the SEC East.
- Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt Disaster Hits a New Low Point
- NCAA Slams Tennessee With 18 Infractions Under Former Coach Jeremy Pruitt
- Sanders: JSU ’Not Ready’ to Play School Like Alabama
- Volunteer Country: Tennessee Leadership Releases Statement Regarding Receiving NCAA Notice of Allegations
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