Former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt, his wife and multiple members of his staff supplied over two dozen recruits with illicit amenities and gifts costing approximately $60,000, according to a notice of allegations from the NCAA, a copy of which was obtained by the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
The document lays out 18 alleged recruitment violations that Pruitt and his team committed from 2018-2020. All allegations were Level I, the most grievous rating possible on the NCAA’s four-level infractions scale.
The most egregious offenses took place over nine unofficial weekend visits during the 2020 coronavirus dead recruiting period, in which six prospects and their families were given $12,000 worth of meals, transportation, lodging, household goods and furniture, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger.
Pruitt was additionally charged for directly administering cash payments for $3,000 and $6,000 to two prospect’s mothers in order to pay for their medical bills and a vehicle down payment, respectively. Pruitt’s wife, Casey, was tagged as well for paying a Tennessee player and his mother $15,000 over 2 1/2 years so they could keep up on rent and car payments.
In addition to Pruitt and his wife, assistant coaches Derrick Ansley, Shelton Felton and Brian Niedermeyer and recruiting staff members Drew Hughes, Bethany Gunn and Chantryce Boone were accused of committing recruiting infractions.
Perhaps the strangest allegation came against Pruitt’s team of coaches, who paid $225 so that several prospects’ family members could have their nails treated at a salon. Tennessee coaches were also accused of gifting $500 worth of university apparel to visiting players in a parking garage, as well as taking prospects and their families on a fishing trip.
Tennessee fired Pruitt in January 2021 following an internal investigation. The other members of the staff who were found guilty of violations were also fired or left on their own.
Despite the clear severity of these accusations, Tennessee was not deemed to have a “lack of institutional control” by the NCAA, in large part due to the university leaders’ professional and transparent handling of the scandal, according to NCAA documents. The institution dismissed its wrongdoing staff members, and, according to Sports Illustrated, withdrew 12 football scholarships from itself last season and cooperated with members of the NCAA throughout the investigation.
“The actions taken by the institution during the investigation should be the standard for any institutional inquiries into potential violations,” the NCAA documents read.
With the NCAA’s 18-month-investigation finally coming to a close, Tennessee and those accused now have 90 days to respond. Once they do, the NCAA will have 60 days for rebuttal.
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