Tennessee has until October 29 to reach a settlement with Jeremy Pruitt’s lawyer or face a lawsuit. The Volunteers’ head coach is suing the university for $2.5 million in damages, according to documents obtained by ESPN.
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Schlabach, Mark
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Senior Writer for ESPN
- Senior writer for college football
- Author of seven college football books
- The University of Georgia has awarded me a bachelor’s degree.
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Chris Low
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Senior Writer for ESPN- Reporter for college football
- In 2007, he began working for ESPN.com.
- The University of Tennessee has awarded me a bachelor’s degree.
Senior Writer for ESPNAn attorney for Jeremy Pruitt has given the University of Tennessee until Oct. 29 to negotiate a financial deal with the former Vols football coach, or face a lawsuit that he claims would reveal a slew of NCAA rules breaches in football and other sports, as well as crippling NCAA penalties.
Attorney Michael Lyons of Dallas sought a meeting with Tennessee general counsel Ryan Stinnett on Oct. 7 to address Pruitt’s requests for a $12.6 million buyout that he says he is due after being dismissed in January for alleged rules breaches in his program. He was fired for reason, according to the institution, and he is due nothing.
“As we have previously stated, a public litigation with its associated discovery, document productions, depositions, disclosures, and court filings is a no-win scenario for UT,” Lyons said in the letter, which ESPN acquired through an open records request on Tuesday. “Even if UT succeeds in its contract arguments, which is doubtful, the lawsuit’s public disclosures would undoubtedly humiliate UT, its sports department, and the administration. This is something that all of the parties involved in this conflict should strive to avoid.”
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The USA Today Network was the first to report on the contents of the letter.
A lawsuit, Lyons wrote, “may entangle the parties for years to come, severely impugn the university’s image, and possibly destroy UT’s sports programs for years.”
In his letter, Lyons also claimed that UT’s top management “ignored and covered up” numerous self-reported NCAA infractions during Pruitt’s coaching tenure, as well as other breaches that happened before he was hired.
In his letter, Lyons added: “We’ve discovered that UT’s top management was either engaged in or supported illegal recruitment practices. We’ve also discovered that a number of prominent UT supporters have been and continue to be engaged in illegally recruiting student athletes across numerous sports and coaching regimes, some of which are still in place.”
In a Monday response to Lyons, Stinnett said that the institution “refuses to negotiate a settlement with your client, whether informally or formally. The University maintains that it had reasonable grounds to fire your client in January for breaching his employment agreement, and our stance has only grown since then.”
“The information previously collected is adequate to convince any factfinder that your client’s termination for cause was entirely warranted,” Stinnett said in his answer.
Tennessee has yet to receive a notice of accusations from the NCAA, according to ESPN sources.
“Tennessee has dug in and decided not to pay Jeremy Pruitt, and my client will defend his rights,” Lyons said on ESPN on Tuesday. “He’s recruited me to do just that. I can’t say I’m shocked…. When it’s all said and done, someone in Tennessee’s leadership will have to reflect on this and ask, “Was it worth it?” Is the reputational damage you’ll suffer among excellent, qualified coaches eager to come to Tennessee worth it? I’m not only referring to football; I’m referring to any sport. Is it worth the time and effort it will take to go through the NCAA process of self-reported infractions that you will discover?”
The university determined in a notice-of-intent-to-terminate letter issued to Pruitt in January that “At least two assistant coaches and many members of the recruiting staff are likely to be found guilty of Level I and/or Level II breaches of one or more Governing Athletic Rules by the NCAA. The University has also determined that these results were most likely the consequence of your material negligence or a lack of adequate preventative compliance measures.”
Deputy coaches Brian Niedermeyer and Shelton Felton, four members of the on-campus football recruiting staff, the director and assistant director of football player personnel, and a football analyst/quality control coach were also dismissed by the university.
The number of individuals engaged and the number of events discovered by the university’s internal inquiry were described as “striking” and “shocking” by Chancellor Donde Plowman in January.
Stinnett replied to Lyons, “Interestingly, your letter includes no denials of your client’s conduct.” “Instead, you make broad and unsubstantiated accusations of additional University breaches, threatening to publicly disgrace the University if these claimed violations are revealed. The University flatly rejects these accusations and will not be bullied into agreeing to a settlement with your client based on your unsubstantiated claims.”
Lyons asked Tennessee and its staff to save “any records and correspondence involving improper benefits given by UT donors to student athletes” and the “usage of any Foundation or organization in conjunction with giving advantages to student athletes or recruiters” in his letter. He also asked that records pertaining to Volunteers basketball coach Rick Barnes, former athletics director Phillip Fulmer, former football assistant coaches, particular boosters, and other people be preserved.
Lyons also represented former Kansas football coach David Beaty, who sued the Jayhawks in March 2019 after the institution delayed his buyout due to a Level II NCAA violation. The parties reached a $2.55 million settlement in June 2020.
The Independent Accountability Resolution Process informed Beaty earlier this month that the accusation against him had been dropped and that he was no longer a part of the investigation.
“Go speak to Kansas if you believe I’m a bluffer. Take a look at what they say “Lyons remarked. “That isn’t my track record. I’m a client advocate, but I have an ethical obligation to ensure that I don’t misrepresent anything. I’m not going to put anything in a letter that details an NCAA infraction that Tennessee has to disclose. So what happens after that? I’m not allowed to discuss it. Isn’t it going to be the subject of an NCAA investigation?”
Tennessee revealed just before the 2020 season that Pruitt had received a contract extension and increase, extending his employment through 2025. Beginning in 2021, Pruitt was expected to make $4.2 million per year.
Pruitt finished his time at Tennessee with a record of 16-19 overall and 10-16 against SEC opponents. Under Pruitt, who was in his first season as a head coach, the Vols were 2-11 versus AP-ranked opponents. He formerly served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator under Nick Saban. He is now employed with the New York Giants as a senior defensive analyst.
