The University of Tennessee confirmed the firing of head football coach Jeremy Pruitt during an afternoon press conference Monday. Chancellor Donde Plowman was joined by outgoing athletic director Phillip Fulmer and university president Randy Boyd in explaining the reasoning for the firing of Pruitt as well as nine others employed within the Vols football program.
According to Plowman, the university’s general counsel launched an internal inquiry in November after the university received a report about possible NCAA violations within the football program.
The information gathered during its investigation also made clear that “Coach Pruitt did not meet the university’s expectations for promoting an atmosphere of compliance and/or monitoring the activities of the coaches and staff who report to him.”
“What is so disturbing, as demonstrated by the scope of these actions, is the number of violations and people involved and their efforts to conceal their activities from our compliance staff and from the Athletic department’s leaders,” Plowman noted. “Despite a strong compliance culture in our athletic department, we must look for ways to further strengthen our processes. We deeply regret the impact this may have on our many student-athletes, particularly the vast majority of our football players who have had no involvement in this matter at all.”
(READ MORE: On and off the field, UT’s Jeremy Pruitt era ends in disgrace)