Coach Butch Jones defends UT amid Baylor University comparisons

UT head football coach Butch Jones signs the back of Abigail Lambert's jersey. The University of Tennessee Big Orange Caravan rolled into town at the Chattanoogan on Thursday May 5, 2016.
UT head football coach Butch Jones signs the back of Abigail Lambert's jersey. The University of Tennessee Big Orange Caravan rolled into town at the Chattanoogan on Thursday May 5, 2016.

It's been nearly two months since the last real bombshell dropped in the Title IX lawsuit facing the University of Tennessee, but the fallout from the scandal that last week prompted the firing of Baylor football coach Art Briles includes some fans and media correlating that situation to Butch Jones and the Volunteers.

At the center of both cases is how major universities and big-time football programs are handling sexual assault and domestic violence cases involving players, but the differences between the Vols and the Bears outnumber the similarities.

"I'm not into comparisons," Jones said Tuesday at a news conference as the Southeastern Conference's spring meetings began in Destin, Fla. "All I can speak on is the University of Tennessee, and I feel strongly, as everyone in our organization (does), that we've done the right things. I'm proud of the culture that we've built.

"We've tried to do everything the right way from everyone in our organization, so I feel very strongly with what we have at the University of Tennessee, what we've built and we'll continue to grow and build upon as well."

The federal lawsuit filed in February includes eight unnamed women who claim Tennessee created a "hostile sexual environment" with its delayed and preferential handling of sexual assault accusations against football players. It comes with an 18-to-24-month timeline if it winds up in a trial rather than a settlement.

Briles, school president Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw all lost their jobs in the wake of a third-party law firm's investigation revealing that Baylor coaches and administrators ignored sexual assault accusations, interfered with investigations through direct contact with complainants and openly discouraged complainants from reporting incidents or pursuing student conduct cases.

At Baylor there was a distinct lack of discipline for football players that clearly has not been the case at Tennessee, where Jones promptly suspended players accused of sexual assault or domestic violence, even if charges didn't follow.

Jones has come under fire, though, for the lawsuit's allegation that he told a player he had betrayed the team for helping a women who accused two players of rape and when his phone records showed he had made calls to police and other involved parties in the hours following that incident.

At last year's spring meetings the SEC became the first conference to introduce a transfer rule that prohibits programs from taking players who were disciplined by a different program for "serious misconduct," particularly sexual assault and domestic violence.

This week the league could review that rule and redefine what qualifies as "serious misconduct" for players.

Jones was asked if he'd like to rule expanded for players and include discipline for coaches who are found to have covered up acts covered by the current policy in the wake of Briles' dismissal.

"That's something I have to continue to research," the Vols coach said. "This is a new topic we'll continue to discuss and make some decisions of how we can continue to improve our profession as well. Every circumstance is different. I think there's a lot of times individuals don't know all the circumstances, and I think people rush to judgment in today's world.

"I think stepping back and being able to make some good choices in moving forward for our profession (is wise), so I'm interested to see how the meetings go the next couple of days and be more educated on these topics."

Jones said Tennessee evaluates the character of potential recruits through limited background checks, Google searches and social media research.

Most of Tennessee's 2016 signing class - the lone exception being wide receiver Corey Henderson, who could wind up going to junior college - moved to Knoxville over the weekend, and the Vols welcomed them with a three-day orientation ahead of summer classes beginning today and the team's summer workouts starting tomorrow.

Jones called the sessions "life labs" in which the freshmen receive information on adjusting to college as a student-athlete and becoming part of the football program.

"I told them it's been a very, very short period of time where we came in and rebuilt the program," Jones said. "Now they're walking into an established football program. (It's) making sure they understand what's required of them in the classroom and the community.

"The most gratifying thing for me was the amount of upperclassmen and veterans that showed up, first of all, to welcome our freshman class and help them move into the dorms but also coming into meetings to talk to the parents and the players."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events