Tennessee’s past is coming up to bite back at itself, this time roping the NCAA along with it, too. Former head coach Jeremy Pruitt is suing the Association for $100 million in lost wages. This is happening five years after multiple recruiting violations were reported during his tenure. Pruitt was fired and hung out to dry by Tennessee, and it’s clear the former head coach wants his due share returned.

According to Knox News, Pruitt’s termination letter mentioned six for-cause violations. Because of this, top brass refused to pay him a dime of his $12 million buyout. In addition to that, he received a six-year show cause and a one-year suspension. Apart from being one of the Vols’ lowest-performing coaches, he’s also not faring better elsewhere. Pruitt had a minor stint at the New York Giants as a senior defensive assistant and is now coaching high-school football at Alabama. What’s even more troubling is that the NCAA might not be very worried about the lawsuit. This is all thanks to former head basketball coach at Tennesee, Bruce Pearl.

For the uninitiated, a scandal ensnared Pearl back in 2005. According to the NCAA, players are not allowed to have off-campus interactions with coaches. Pearl had eight high-school candidates at his home for a cookout. When the NCAA came knocking, he lied about it and also encouraged others to do the same. Added to that, an unrelated incident of a player being involved in substance abuse delivered the final blow. Pearl received a three-year show cause penalty, along with restrictions in recruiting and pay cuts. But his coaching records are what will give the NCAA an edge over the Jeremy Pruitt lawsuit.

In a March 28 episode of the Andy & Ari On3 podcast, the former explained the NCAA’s move going forward. “The reason Bruce Pearl is coaching now, and this punishment did not end his career, is Bruce Pearl’s a really good basketball coach.” At Tennessee, Pearl walked with a 145-61 record. “At Tennessee, Bruce Pearl was either the best coach Tennessee has ever had, or he’s the best one since Ray Mears. Either way, that’s really good,” said Staples. Auburn saw an opportunity and chased it down. “[They] hired Bruce Pearl before his show cause even ran out. He was not allowed to recruit at all. He was hired with four months to go on his show cause. And Auburn’s like, ‘Just don’t recruit.”

Andy Staples explains how the lawsuit will bounce back on Pruitt. “Well, the problem for Jeremy Pruitt is his head coach in Tennessee wasn’t very good. He was 16 and 18 overall. That’s the problem. If you break rules and you’re really good, you get hired again.” He also mentions that Pruitt was not on good terms with folks at Tennessee. “[H]e didn’t treat the people at Tennessee when he worked there,  or Georgia when he worked there, or Florida State when he worked there, particularly well. And so they were more than happy to throw him under the bus.” The road ahead is tough for Pruitt, but that does not mean people are not picking up on what the broader context of the whole situation is.

Joseph Pruitt was a “scapegoat,” claims lawsuit and Tennessee insider

Ryan C. Fowler boldly said that this needed to be done to Tennessee. He also said that to keep things under wraps, the Vols management will probably cave. He wrote on X, “Tennessee will eventually pay him off. I doubt they want the public to hear his side of the story.” Pruitt’s lawsuit claims that UT “conspired” with the NCAA and singled out Jeremy to be the “sacrificial lamb for conduct that long preceded his tenure as the Vols coach.”

Fowler also wrote, “The Vols have a history of operating in the NCAA gray area long before Pruitt arrived in Knoxville. Their motto has always been to blame someone other than the UT cronies, and Pruitt was just next in line. I hope his attorneys can expose the long-term corruption within Tennessee athletics.” He seems to be catching on to what Pruitt himself claims in the lawsuit. The latter mentions that payments to players were already in practice before he was hired. Upon bringing this to the attention of AD Phillip Fulmer, he said that “he would handle it.” He retired on the same day that Pruitt was fired. In 2023, UT was fined $8 million by the NCAA for 18 Level 1 violations. It again accused the program of NIL violations in 2024 but lost the case in court.

Something beyond ‘shady’ is going on in Tennessee; that much is clear. But will Pruitt, who has been brutally punched down to failure, be able to get his due right? Also, how effectively will his coaching record come into play if the NCAA decides to use the Bruce Pearl card? We will have to wait and watch.