UT chancellor praises John Currie in reference letter as settlement announced

Photo by C.B. Schmelter / John Currie, Tennessee's athletic director at the time, stands on the sideline during a home football game against Southern Mississippi on Nov. 4, 2017. Photo by C.B. Schmelter / John Currie, Tennessee's athletic director at the time, stands on the sideline during a home football game against Southern Mississippi on Nov. 4, 2017.

By David Cobb March 23, 2018 3 min read

KNOXVILLE – University of Tennessee chancellor Beverly Davenport signed a glowing letter of recommendation for former athletic director John Currie.

The letter, which was included in a settlement agreement released Thursday, praised Currie for the work he did in eight months as UT’s AD.

“We forged a productive partnership that led to several key initiatives while he was here,” Davenport wrote in the reference letter.

Davenport placed Currie on paid leave and replaced him with Phillip Fulmer on Dec. 1 as Currie was working to hire a football coach to replace Butch Jones.

Currie was still owed more than $5 million on his contract. The settlement announced Thursday is for $2.5 million and will be paid by the athletic department.