UT's head coach Butch Jones exits the field after a timeout while playing Arkansas during the second quarter of play on Oct. 3, 2015.KNOXVILLE -- During a board of trustees meeting on Thursday, University of Tennessee chancellor Jimmy Cheek addressed speculation regarding an alleged altercation during an August practice between Volunteers head coach Butch Jones and offensive lineman Mack Crowder.
There have been various rumors and reports, mostly citing anonymous sources, all week alleging that Jones may have crossed the line physically with Crowder during in the preseason.
Cheek said during the meeting that Tennessee looked into the matter and found no inappropriate behavior.
"There's been a lot of rumor and misinformation on social media and message boards about an alleged incident during football practice," Cheek said, according to Tennessee spokesman Ryan Robinson.
"It's not our practice to respond to rumors, but I thought it was important to let you know that we've done our due diligence and (athletic director) Dave Hart and I are very confident there was no inappropriate conduct by any players or coaches."
Asked about the alleged incident on Monday, Jones said such claims were "absolutely ridiculous."
UT quarterback Justin Worley waits for center Mack Crowder to snap the ball in the game against Arkansas State at Neyland Stadium.Tennessee's third-year coach also talked about the situation during his weekly appearance on Nashville radio station WGFX-FM later Thursday afternoon.
"I know that the university and our athletics department did their due diligence, and we're moving forward," Jones said. "I can tell you this: All the rumors were completely untrue.
"It's very, very unfortunate that we had to go through this for the last couple days, but we're moving on and we're looking forward to competing on Saturday against a very good Georgia football team."
Crowder also broke his silence on the situation later Thursday, though he didn't specifically address the alleged altercation between him and his coach.
In a three-part post on his Twitter account, Crowder wrote the following: "I'm proud to be a VFL (Vol for life) and honored to be a part of this University and Vol FAMILY. I've given my all to this program and will continue to.
"I want nothing more than for Vol Nation to come together and get ready to beat the Dawgs on Saturday, as my Teammates, Coaches, and I are already working hard to do. Everything else is a distraction."
The Vols host the 19th-ranked Bulldogs on Saturday.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.