Okay, I have a purpose here again!!!!
I was troubled by the talk of revoking scholarships, and that sounded fishy to me. So, I went researching the issue. Apparently, the NCAA places very few restrictions on member schools with regards to the terms within a scholarship offer.
Ultimately, we should think of a scholarship as a contract, because it is one. The player provides effort in athletics in exchange for tuition, etc. However, every contract has terms governing termination. This would rarely come up, but I'm sure it does in cases of injuries, misconduct, NCAA violations, etc. In short, the dang thing assuredly has language that provides the University a right of termination. But, what are those terms?
I did a bit of research, and cannot find anything supplying those terms - or even basic policy positions. I'm sure they are out there, but I can't find them.
Undaunted by this lack of information, I sent the following email to three departments in the AD:
Dear University of Tennessee Compliance Office:
I am interested in gaining information regarding the nature of scholarships offered by the University of Tennessee. The NCAA does not impose substantial limitations on the terms that a member school may include within a scholarship offer. With that in mind, I am seeking more information about the terms that UTK uses in its scholarship offers. To the extent possible, could you answer the following inquiries:
Does the University of Tennessee use one standard form for all athletes in all sports?
Are there separate forms used for distinct sports?
To the extent that multiple forms are used, is there a standard for determining what terms are offered?
What are the criteria the University of Tennessee has included regarding revocation or termination of an existing scholarship?
Can you provide a sample scholarship agreement (or point me to where one is available on the internet)?
I am gathering this information as a personal research project. No information provided will be used in any publication or disseminated for profit. This is purely for my personal research and knowledge. I intend to send similar questions to other institutions.
As you are aware, the Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA) provides for gaining a wide variety of materials, including interoffice memoranda and policy statements. The breadth of my request is far narrower than the information assuredly provided under such a request. As such, I am hoping your office will answer the above questions without requiring a request under the TPRA.
GO VOLS!
In the alternative, if anyone can coerce Stonecold to get a REDACTED (no personal information) copy of his brother's scholarship, I'd love to review it.
TLDR: While it seems common sense that player's wouldn't be able to have their scholarship revoked for telling about Gruden, I've seen nothing that says so explicitly. My gut says the poster was FOS, but I've got nothing to refute it with.
Could disclosing Gruden as coach be a "conduct violation?" Maybe....
