Former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl has made it clear that he’d like to land a broadcasting job for the 2011-12 season.  But as we’ve suggested multiple times on this site, it doesn’t look like ESPN will be an option for him.

The website SportsByBrooks.com is reporting that “ESPN programming executive Norby Williamson has made known that Pearl won’t be hired anytime soon because of his pending NCAA issues.”

The site then goes on to suggest that ESPN is applying a double-standard to Pearl.  Lou Holtz was hired by ESPN in 2005 after stepping down at South Carolina in 2004.  And Holtz’s Carolina program was about to be hit with NCAA sanctions when the network hired him.

Read more of “An ESPN double-standard in not hiring Pearl?” on MrSEC.com
6.30.11

Coach firings add up for University of Tennessee

By December 2012, when former football coach Phillip Fulmer receives his final paycheck from a $6 million buyout, UT will have paid $9,100,385.53 in buyout money to the five high-profile coaches UT athletic director Mike Hamilton has fired. Tack on the $873,014 UT paid to the coaches’ respective staffs, and the figure is close to $10 million.

govolsxtra.com
5/25/11

…But let’s start before that.  We don’t like firings around here and you won’t see us call for heads.  We haven’t in three years, anyway.  That said, UT should have fired Pearl back in September.  We didn’t call for it at the time, but we most assuredly thought it would be in the school’s best interest to change coaches.  At the very least, as we’ve stated previously, it should have suspended him for a full season to show the NCAA that it took the coach’s violations seriously.

Instead — and it made sense from a business perspective — Vol administrators decided to stand by Pearl.  They thought, better to take sanctions and rebuild with a proven, popular winner than take sanctions and rebuild with, say, a young mid-major coach from the Missouri Valley Conference that no one in Knoxville has ever heard of.

But by standing by Pearl from September through February, Tennessee’s athletic department sent a couple of clear messages to Vol supporters:

1.  Pearl is our guy unless something major changes.

2.  These charges aren’t that serious.  (Though they never stated that, that was certainly the message that was sent.)

Read more of “UT Still Paying For Shooting Itself In The Foot Over Pearl” on MrSEC.com
4.12.11

Obviously Meyer wants to decompress, take some time off from coaching and spend some quality time with his family. And he will get a chance to do just that this season while the vultures circle Tressel at Ohio State. With Tennessee firing basketball coach Bruce Pearl on Monday for similar transgressions to Tressel’s, it’s inevitable that Ohio State will eventually pull the plug on Tressel, too.

Let’s face it, Tressel has lost all credibility and could face massive sanctions once the NCAA is done investigating his role in covering up violations by his players. If the NCAA hammer falls and the Buckeyes struggle this year (and you know they will with quarterback Terrelle Pryor and Tressel suspended for the first five games), the pressure will mount and Tressel will ultimately resign.

Read more of “In wake of Bruce Pearl firing, Urban Meyer will replace Jim Tressel at Ohio State” on OrlandoSentinel.com
3.22.11

4.  Multiple sources close to Tennessee’s program had leaked in recent days that UT had gotten some form of heads-up as to its future with Pearl as compared to its future without Pearl.  It was believed by most that UT was choosing the lesser of two evils after trying to keep Pearl in place.  (That attempt might result in stiffer sanctions.)  And that could still be the case.

But it’s not supposed to be the case.  Andrew Gribble of The Sentinel — who has done great work at both The Opelika-Auburn News and now The Sentinel, by the way — reports that communication between the COI and a school’s compliance department is forbidden.  The attorney Ermert said: “It is unlikely that the university will be told “If you do A, B, and C, then you don’t have to worry about D, E and F.”

That is exactly the story that multiple sources have been spinning, however.  So while the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions might not have gotten word to UT, it’s possible that someone with knowledge of the case (and past cases and past penalties) did give Tennessee officials a comparison of likely scenarios.

Read more of “Pearl ouster becomes clearer, murkier” on MrSEC.com
3.22.11

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) — UT and Coach Bruce Pearl are parting ways, sources close to the program report.

Pearl had been under fire recently for alleged recruiting violations. He has been working without a contract since the olddeal was nullified after he confessed to lying to the NCAA

Read more of “UT and Bruce Pearl parting ways” on VolunteerTV.com
3.21.11

We at MrSEC aren’t big on firings.  That’s not kosher in the media… the media is supposed to loooooove firings.  We don’t.  If a coach’s program is clearly moving in reverse over a period of time, then it’s hard for us to provide a defense (which means Mark Richt had better win in 2011).  But you won’t find us calling for heads.  Heck, we felt bad for Billy Gillispie despite all indications that he was a bad egg and an A-1 jerk.

See, we know that coaches tend to be called A-1 jerks when they don’t win enough to suit the hometown fans.  In other words, had Gillispie posted John Calipari-like victories at Kentucky, he could have water-boarded Josh Harrellson and he’d still be coaching in Lexington (rather than Lubbock) today.  (Yes, he’d need to be a better ambassador, but if he’d racked up 55 wins in two seasons, he would’ve gotten a third year.  And you know it, UK fans.)

Read more of “Vol Fans Should Stop Spinning And Just Admit They Want Pearl Because He Wins” on MrSEC.com
3.21.11

Tennessee

In Knoxville, Vol fans are waiting for word that their beloved coach has been dismissed.  By Friday night, several key Tennessee boosters had indicated that a change was coming.  And more than one Bruce Pearl assistant indicated to the press that they knew their fates had been sealed.

But no announcement came on Sunday.  And with spring practice kicking off with media day on Rocky Top today, it’s possible no announcement will come Monday either.  That quiet has led to rumors and speculation.

One hot one involves a sudden change of heart from UT’s chancellor and two biggest boosters.  The theory, Tennessee will keep Pearl but dismiss athletic director Mike Hamilton and replace him with David Blackburn, the man who oversaw Lane Kiffin and ultimately saved the Vols from steeper NCAA accusations.

Read more of “Anderson not at Arkansas (yet). Pearl still at Tennessee (for now)” on MrSEC.com
3.21.11

Now, though, Pearl’s support has deteriorated. Something has happened in the four weeks since UT received the NCAA notice of allegations. While preparing its response, UT’s administration began to get cold feet about Pearl.

Once upon a time, the NCAA maintained its distance from a school that was under investigation. Nobody had a clue about which way the NCAA was leaning until a letter of inquiry arrived.

Now, there is a reasonably open line of communication, allowing a school that is under investigation to forward additional information before the NCAA delivers a list of alleged infractions that could result in sanctions.

Read more of “For UT, Pearl isn’t worth the cost” on Tennessean.com
3.20.11

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton apologized to Vols men’s basketball coachBruce Pearl for untimely remarks he made about the uncertainty of Pearl’s future with the program.

Two sources, who asked to remain anonymous because of UT’s ongoing evaluation of Pearl, said the first contact from Hamilton to Pearl took place via phone before the team arrived in Charlotte for its opening game in the NCAA tournament on Friday.

Read more of “Mike Hamilton apologizes to Bruce Pearl” on GoVolsXtra.com
3.18.11