I guess if you’re looking for a reason not to come to Tennessee, then you’re possibly correct. I’ll admit that Danny White has done very little to endear himself to Tennessee fans, and this was an opportunity to reverse that trend, but I don’t really fault Rick Barnes for staying quiet (publicly). And to be fair, we don’t know what has been said or done behind closed doors.
He passive-aggressively challenged the media in his introductory press conference and then flat out chastised them in Heupel’s. I doubt he’d publicly challenge Barnes because that reflects poorly on him, but I have no doubt that he would potentially take issue with Barnes going around him in the media to call out any or all of his conference commissioner, his brother, or UF’s AD. He also has the support of Plowman and Boyd, none of whom held their current positions when Barnes was hired. The point being, Barnes hasn’t won enough at Tennessee to trump those levels of authority if he starts intentionally ruffling the feathers of his boss.
Yeah, I don’t really care about it, either. I just think it’s a terrible way to start your career in the big time. No one is impressed with his faux-Wyatt Earp demeanor. Just make good hires, stand up for your school and athletes, and raise money. Aside from that, the only one who cares about the Danny White show is Danny White.
