DICKSON, Tenn. - University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl's campaigning on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam has GOP rivals Zach Wamp and Ron Ramsey crying "foul."
The two question the appropriateness of the public school coach's high-profile efforts for Haslam.
On Monday, Pearl, who gave Haslam's campaign $250 on June 11, joined Haslam in kicking off a statewide tour in advance of Thursday's Republican primary election. He spoke on behalf of Haslam, the Knoxville mayor, in Jackson and later in Dickson.
In a Twitter statement earlier Monday, Wamp, a Chattanooga congressman, wrote, "as a UT parent + big supporter of Univ of Tn, I believe Bruce Pearl has no business endorsing candidates for state office."
Ramsey, the state's lieutenant governor, noted the Haslam family, which owns and operates a national chain of interstate travel centers through their Pilot Corp., has contributed huge sums to UT over the years.
Haslam's father Jim, who founded Pilot and is a former UT trustee, headed a $1 billion fundraising campaign several years ago and personally gave the university $32.5 million.
"It is questionable whether someone with a UT job should be endorsing someone for governor, especially with all the money the Haslams have given UT," Ramsey said.
Pearl later told reporters that he sees no problem with endorsing Haslam and praised him for his work as mayor.
"I work at the University of Tennessee. I'm a citizen of the state of Tennessee. I care who's going to be our next governor," he said. "And I've had the honor and privilege of getting to know Bill. I've worked side by side with him on so many charitable events in Knoxville."
In an e-mail, Wamp said that, as "a state employee who has been handsomely rewarded through the years by the Haslam family, Bruce Pearl's participation in the governor's race could not be more inappropriate."
"This is just another example of Bill Haslam thinking there's one set of rules for him and his family and an entirely different set of rules for everyone else," Wamp later said.
Asked if the family's support of UT influenced him to come out for Haslam, Pearl said, "I'm influenced certainly, I appreciate the support that we've received for Tennessee basketball. We've had a good run. It doesn't happen without 22,000 people in the building, without support."
He stressed that he was the one who approached Haslam about making the endorsement and helping out the campaign.
Haslam said Pearl has the right to say who he supports in the race, "just like anybody else."
"When Bruce asked if he could help, I said, 'Sure, I'd love to have you.' And I won't apologize for that," Haslam said.
Ramsey would not go so far as to say that Pearl's endorsement of Haslam was improper.
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that," he said. "I'm just saying it might make some raise their eyebrows. It (the Haslam support of UT) diminishes the value of having an endorsement."
Ramsey, meanwhile, said he isn't impressed by celebrity endorsements of Wamp, either. Bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs is among a horde of high-profile Wamp supporters.
"I don't really think it translates into votes," Ramsey said. "People want to know where you stand on issues, not who your friends are."