ForumsThe University of Tennessee announced today that it has reached an agreement with head men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl that will relieve Pearl and his immediate staff of their duties. The process of finding the next head men’s basketball coach at Tennessee will begin immediately.
Statement from University of Tennessee Chancellor Jimmy Cheek
In September, I said that Bruce Pearl was our coach and I expected him to be our coach for a long time.
I am disappointed with the events that have brought us to this point today, events that I would call “the cumulative effect of evolving circumstances.”
Since our September news conference, several instances have occurred that have caused us to change our position, as indicated in Mike’s comments.
I care about Coach Pearl and his family. I appreciate the job that he has done at Tennessee.
From the University’s perspective, this decision is an institutional decision, with counsel and input from many who know and love this university.
Mike Hamilton has kept me informed throughout the past weeks and I have been involved and engaged in the entire process.
I have kept the University of Tennessee system President informed, and he fully supports the steps that Mike and I have taken. The President, in turn, has communicated with the Board of Trustees.
I have personally stayed in contact with the Board of Trustees Vice-Chair, Jim Murphy.
Our job in administration is to weigh all the issues and all of the inputs—sometimes including details we cannot share—and then make tough decisions. Our goal is to weigh all of the information and ultimately do what is in the best interest of the University of Tennessee.
Going forward, I am confident that Mike Hamilton will find the right coach who can build on the foundation created over the past several years.
Mike Hamilton has my support. I join him in looking forward to continued success.
Statement from University of Tennessee Director of Athletics Mike Hamilton
Today, we are announcing that we have reached an agreement with Bruce Pearl that will result in him and his immediate staff being relieved of their duties with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball program. This is a difficult day for many obvious reasons.
Six years ago, Bruce Pearl arrived on our campus and renewed hope in Tennessee Basketball. He, his staff, and our student-athletes have allowed us as administrators and fans to enjoy unprecedented success and many victories during that time. He has become a friend to many and has done tremendous work in our community.
Upon receipt of our NCAA Letter of Inquiry in September, we made the difficult decision to forego common national opinion and forge ahead with Bruce and his staff pending any further major infractions or issues that would preclude our basketball program from representing the University of Tennessee in the right manner.
The months that followed have been difficult on everyone – our staff, our coaches, our administration, our fans and, certainly, our young men. During this time, the dynamics of our case with the NCAA have evolved further, including additional violations committed on September 14 and in March 2011. The cumulative effect of the evolution of the investigation combined with a number of more recent non-NCAA-related incidents have led to a belief that this staff cannot be viable at Tennessee in the future. Therefore, it is in the best interests of our institution to move in a different direction.
We have included separation terms that will detail more clearly our role in the transition for Coach Pearl and his assistant coaches. In the meantime, we have named native Tennessean and a former head coach, Houston Fancher, as interim coach during our hiring process.
Our search process will begin immediately. This is a great job and will attract a significant number of interested coaches. Much of that interest is a tribute to what Coach Pearl has helped to build, but more importantly, what our fans have built. We will take an appropriate amount of time, but will move as swiftly as is effective to bring this to conclusion.
Lastly, I want to apologize to our fans for my untimely comments prior to last week’s NCAA appearance. While my comments were never intended for harm, they became an unneeded distraction to what has already been a year of distractions.
Terms of Agreement
• Head men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be paid at his current salary rate through June 30, 2011. He will also receive $50,000 per month for 12 months, from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012, and will also receive health insurance costs. This cumulative figure is $948,728.
• Additionally, the men’s basketball coaching staff will each be paid at their current salary rate through July 31, 2011.
{ 8 comments }
Very sad. Such a great coach and one who has done so much for Tennessee. I believe passion for building and winning often blurrs the dividing line between doing it the “right” way and cutting corners that can’t be cut. That is one major reason for the success of coach Summit. No one is more passionate about winning and building for UT than she. But she keeps a focus on what the rules are and just doesn’tcross that line no matter what. A shame Bruce couldn’t see that and emulate it. We will miss him. At heart I believe he is a great guy, but just is over powered by his passion sometimes for the game.
First of all. I enjoyed having Pearl as coach. But what makes Pearl and other CEO’S so special that they get paid for failing at their job? By failing I mean breaking rules or not doing your job. I know I wouldn’t get a buyout for underperforming or not doing my job. They make millions which is fine by me but to pay someone to fire them??? What’s everyone’s thoughts? Doesn’t make sense to me and maybe someone logical can enlighten me as to what makes this ok. Between fulmer and pearl the university just gave away millions of donors money and I know there are many of you out there. Maybe even a donor’s perspective would be interesting to hear.
This is going to put us back YEARS. We’ll be lucky to have a winning record any season for the next 5 years. I realize Pearl made major mistakes, but they punished him and could have punished him more without firing him. Hamilton thought firing Pearl would get him out of having to report to the NCAA and that there would be no more penalties. Not gonna happen.
i didnt want pearl to go unless all sanctions were minimal and there was no post season ban.pearl lied but the ncaa and sec let auburn play cam newton cause they were afraid of loss of money,so they found newton eligible,and kentucky basketball is winnest program in sec and ncaa history with several ncaa titals and 47 sec tourney titals and numerous regular season titals,they were on probation once barely.but every coach from rupp up to present have been practicing illegal recruiting violations.rupp,joe b hall,eddie sutton ,rick patino,and now calipari who had violations at two other schools i know of,but the sec needs a strong uk team so they dont dig in there closet,and the sec protects uk from ncaa and they protect the football teams like lsu,bama,flordia,auburn so the sec can remain the powerhouse
bosgap first and formost you are committing slander and libel. Their is absolutely no evidence that Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Or Rick Pitino ever recruited illegally or even committed any major NCAA violations. Likewise their is no evidence, but hearsay, that John Calipari ever directly committed any major NCAA violations. Your statements are untrue and you should appologize. Second when Kentucky did commit NCAA violations, under Eddie Sutton, they were punished severely. The Kentucky Program was obsolete for years after those NCAA violations. It took Kentucky five years to completely recover and had the fan base not been so rampant there is good reason to think the program would never have recovered. Now as far as our Vols are concerned we are in our darkest days ever in our basketbally program. I loved Bruce Pearl but he has hurt our program though I know he did not mean to. Yet at the same time Pearl made our program relevant again. The SEC actually feared us and we took to Kentucky a few times. We will recover my fellow Vol Fans but we must not let down our Vols. Lets go to the games and support our team no matter how lopsided the losses may be. If we support our team properly it will lessen the long term affects of the NCAA sanctions. In closing lets be civil fans and not accuse other programs, no matter how much we dislike them, of wrong doing without proper evidence. No school, not even Kentucky, wants to violate the rules. It usually a land slide of events that spiral out of control and then all of a sudden you find the NCAA breathing down your necks. I personally hate the NCAA it seems they pick and choose who they go after. The more news it generates the more the NCAA seem to focus on it. Well anyways Go Vols!!!! Stay loyal Vol Nation.!!!
If I did something to get fired at work, I cant imagine my employer stuffing me full of the company’s cash as they fired me.
These executives allow the institutions they are supposed to serve to be looted – to serve their network of cronies.
American Pig: Your statement is true and really points to a problem with society in general. If the common working man, poor man, does anything wrong it likely destroys their whole life. I mean it takes alot to come back from a bad decision for the common man. CEO’s Coaches, Big Wigs, seem to fall on their feet even when they do wrong. Thats a class issue. The Republicans want to destroy folks retirement and keep healthcare out of reach for the poor yet Wal-Street Big Wigs gets a free pass. LOL. I sure would love to make the kind of mistake Bruce Pearl made. When the Big Wig gets fired he or she gets a huge severance package and when the “little man gets fired” he gets a swift kick in the but. LOL. Good Day.
r
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