KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The NCAA announced Tuesday it has reached an agreement with four former University of Tennessee football program employees over recruiting violations that occurred during former head coach Jeremy Pruitt's tenure.
Pruitt and nine other staffers were fired in January 2021 after an investigation into recruiting violations. Pruitt was fired from his position as head coach for failing to promptly report recruiting violations committed by nine employees under his leadership.
Back in July 2022, the university received a notice of allegations from the NCAA for 18 allegations that the football program had spent nearly $60,000 in "impermissible recruiting inducements and extra benefits," which could be considered bribes, to court both prospective and current student-athletes.
Those happened between 2019 to 2020 when Pruitt was the head coach.
More than two years after those violations came to light, the NCAA said four people who previously worked for the Tennessee football program agreed with NCAA enforcement staff on the violations and the "appropriate penalties" that come with them. The NCAA did not name the staffers in its release, however, sources close to WBIR said three of the staffers were former personnel director Drew Hughes, as well as assistant coaches Shelton Felton and Brian Niedermeyer.
Pruitt has not negotiated any sanctions for himself and has fought against any type of penalties, WBIR's sources said.
The NCAA said the four agreed to face penalties, including show-clause orders varying from three to five years. A show-clause order does not necessarily mean their careers are over, but it does place a significant burden on any school that may try to hire them in order for the school to also avoid penalties. Historically, many coaches who receive show-clause orders never return to roles in collegiate athletics.
The NCAA's Committee on Infractions panel said it preliminarily approved the agreement for the four who accepted the violations. The University of Tennessee and the remaining staff will have their cases considered by the committee during another hearing before the NCAA releases its full decision.
"The committee will not discuss further details in the case to protect the integrity of the ongoing process, as the committee's final decision — including potential violations and penalties for the school and the remaining individuals — is still pending," the NCAA said.
The NCAA said this is the third time it has split up a decision like this to use multiple resolutions, saying it's allowable after an Aug. 2022 rule adopted by the Board of Directors to "modernize and expedite" the infractions process.