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| Bruce Pearl |
UT's administration would have us all believe that victories and March Madness momentum would not be factors in their decision. Nice try. Based on the waffling, which-way-is-the-wind-blowing approach that passes for leadership at UT, Pearl's biggest mistake was failing to win his way deep into the NCAA Tournament this year.
It is telling that on Monday evening UT's higher-ups felt the need to cite an additional minor violation and hint at other misconduct by Pearl to justify doing what they should have done six months ago. Once they finally decided to do the right thing, they couldn't pile on quickly enough.
Where was all this character assassination in November and December when the Vols were beating Villanova and Pittsburgh? Back then, everybody with an orange necktie was slapping Pearl on the back and congratulating him for his remarkable focus in the face of adversity.
As recently as the UT-Kentucky game on March 6, UT Athletics Director Mike Hamilton assured a handful of recruits that Pearl and his staff would return.
It was only when everybody took a step back and noticed how many home-court losses had piled up and reflected on what kind of beating the university was taking around the country that the UT administration started thinking like administrators instead of fans.
The resulting move is pure damage control. UT is banking on the fact that it can now go before the NCAA Committee on Infractions in June and brag that it removed that rogue Bruce Pearl from its coaching family to preserve the university's integrity.
I wonder what UT's response will be if a member of the committee asks why the school allowed Pearl to continue coaching the Vols throughout the season even though everyone was aware he had lied to an NCAA investigator.
UT won't escape NCAA
This could be a sticking point. Yes, UT will be better off without Pearl as an employee when it goes before the infractions committee. But just because he got the boot after the season, that doesn't mean UT will skate.Likewise, the fact that Lane Kiffin no longer coaches the Vols football team may not incur any favor from the infractions committee when it considers that portion of UT's case. Kiffin left of his own volition once Southern Cal called. It's not like UT showed him the door as some sort of corrective action.
In past brushes with the NCAA, Tennessee has managed to emerge relatively unscathed. A few scholarships have been forfeited and an assistant coach or two have been made scapegoats but major sanctions were avoided. Sometimes you wondered if UT stood for University of Teflon.
But something may stick this time, in part because the school waited until a basketball season reached a mediocre conclusion before taking the proper action.
The decision to fire Pearl was better late than never. But it was still too late.
Sources: http://www.tennessean.com
