KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee uncovered secondary violations involving basketball recruit Tyler Smith and disassociated a booster who talked to the player and his father at high school games, school officials announced Monday.
Smith, of Pulaski, signed with the Vols last November while Buzz Peterson was still the coach. He became less interested in Tennessee after Peterson was fired this spring, and new coach Bruce Pearl could not persuade him to join the team. Tennessee did not grant Smith a release from his scholarship.
The university sent a letter last week to the Southeastern Conference outlining the violations and investigation. SEC commissioner Mike Slive then wrote the NCAA, saying the league had accepted Tennessee's self-reported secondary violations.
Tennessee officials began investigating in April allegations that a booster gave basketball tickets to Smith's father, Billy, and gave money to help pay the Smiths' rent in exchange for steering Tyler Smith to Tennessee.
The booster, Donny Cameron of Franklin, denied making any sort of payments but said he did know the Smiths and attended Tyler Smith's basketball games.
Cameron, described by the university as businessman from Middle Tennessee, has been disassociated for two years because he spoke to Tyler Smith at basketball games.
Peterson and former assistant coach Chuck Benson denied knowing anything about the alleged payments. The Smiths did not appear for scheduled interviews with university investigators.
University officials did not gather any firsthand knowledge of any payments and "concluded that there is insufficient credible evidence of an NCAA bylaw infraction," UT associate general counsel Peter Foley wrote to Slive.
