Vols4life, did you even read the article? At least one of the young ladies involved had been recruited by Coach Alford-Sullivan when she was in the same position at Penn State. Dismissing her from the Lady Vols after recruiting her for Penn State without even allowing her to practice and without an explanation raises significant questions about motivation.
Also, most of the posters responding here don't deny that it is within the coach's power to make the decisions that she has. The manner in which she has gone about it, however, raises concerns, and, in my mind, questions about her thought process. As I understand the report, six student-athletes have been told that they would not be allowed to practice with the squad or to compete in competition. Their scholarships for this academic year, however, are being honored with the understanding that they will not be renewed next year. In what universe does it make sense to eliminate six athletes from your squad under circumstances where you cannot replace them? It seems to me that the better course of action would have been to call everyone in and put them on notice that this season will determine if scholarships will be renewed and, if anyone is uncomfortable with that, they can be given their release immediately. And, it would be better to do this under circumstances where the student-athlete could look for another program immediately without having to sit out. Just my opinion.
This matter was poorly handled and reflects poorly on the coach's management skills. I, like a number of other posters, think that the Tennessee track program (at least on the women's side) has suffered a major, self inflicted setback that will take considerable time to overcome.
Jim