KNOXVILLE – Sophomore defensive tackle Marlon Walls and sophomore linebacker Greg King practiced with the Tennessee football team Wednesday after being reinstated in the program the previous day.
Walls and King were suspended last month for their involvement in a bar fight near campus. Neither player has been criminally charged in the incident, but first-year UT coach Derek Dooley still sent the Memphis natives home hours after the fight.
“I feel pretty blessed,” Walls said after practice. “I respect my coach and the decisions he makes. I made a mistake, and he felt like I paid my due for that mistake, and so he let me back on the team. I really respect him as a man and a coach. I just want to be out here and not be a distraction for my teammates and just let everybody know that I made a big mistake, and that’s a mistake I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life.
“I definitely didn’t come to Tennessee to be doing stuff like that. But hey, it happened. Now I’ve just got to live with it and just pray that everything will be OK.”
Added King: “I’m very grateful, and I’m happy to be back at Tennessee and playing ball. I did what I had to do. I apologized to my teammates, because I was in the wrong. I shouldn’t have made that decision.”
Dooley said he didn’t ask the players to apologize this week because “they weren’t alone” in the incident.
“We had all that stuff taken care of back around the time it all happened,” Dooley said. “It was more hugs and welcome back (today) than it was apologies. …I know they had a big smile on their face when they got back.”
Dooley said Tuesday that barring new evidence that surfaces in the case, he expects everyone but dismissed safety Darren Myles Jr. to be eligible for the Vols’ Sept. 4 season-opener against UT-Martin.
MIAs
Dooley said senior defensive end Ben Martin “did a little bit more than I expected” Wednesday after his offseason knee surgery, but the player was still “scaled back” for precautionary reasons.
Dooley said he was also optimistic about the health progress of senior linebackers Nick Reveiz and Savion Frazier, who tore ACLs last season. Dooley said the duo “moved around good and looked good, but until you put the pads on and watch them strike somebody and take on blocks, it’s hard to make a judgment.”
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