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Former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt has sued the NCAA, claiming $100 million in lost wages due to his 2021 firing and six-year show-cause penalty.
In the lawsuit, Pruitt alleges that UT and the NCAA conspired to make him the “sacrificial lamb” for rules violations that preceded his tenure as Vols coach.
He also believes that he shouldn’t be punished for allegedly paying players because the NCAA now allows athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness.
“The NCAA punished Pruitt for something that is no longer illegal,” Pruitt’s complaint said. “Jeremy Pruitt may be the last coach in America to be punished for impermissible player benefits.”
Pruitt also claims that UT was already paying football players against NCAA rules when he was hired in December 2017, but that former athletics director Phillip Fulmer swept it under the rug and the investigation intentionally ignored that information.
“The investigation was intentionally limited to avoid examining historical misconduct at UT, which long preceded Jeremy and was hidden from him,” said Pruitt’s complaint, which was filed in DeKalb County, Alabama, on Wednesday and obtained by Knox News.
On Thursday, Pruitt did not immediately respond to a Knox News request for comment. Luke Pruitt, Jeremy’s brother, told the Gadsden Times that Jeremy Pruitt has no comment on the lawsuit. Jeremy Pruitt’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The NCAA released the following statement: “NCAA rules are proposed and adopted by member schools and penalties for violations are imposed by a committee of representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences as well as individuals from the public who have legal training. In this case, the Committee on Infractions found violations and assigned penalties, both of which were…
Source link : https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2025/03/27/jeremy-pruitt-ncaa-lawsuit-tennessee-football/82347691007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-27 19:30:00
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