Former Vols coach fired over benefits to players sues NCAA for making him a ‘sacrificial lamb’

Jeremy Pruitt is suing the NCAA for $100 million for lost and future wages, accusing the organization of conspiring with the University of Tennessee making him possibly the “last coach in America to be punished for impermissible player benefits.”

Pruitt’s lawsuit, first reported by YahooSports and obtained by The Associated Press, was filed Wednesday in DeKalb County Circuit Court in northeast Alabama, about 170 miles south of Knoxville. The lawsuit also accuses the NCAA of negligence and Tennessee of limiting the investigation into rules violations before his hiring.

“Jeremy Pruitt is one of the coaches who has been subject to an unfair, wrongful, and inconsistent NCAA investigation and ruling with potentially career-ending penalties,” according to the lawsuit. “The NCAA conspired with the University of Tennessee (“UT”) and others to make Jeremy the sacrificial lamb for conduct that long preceded his tenure at UT.”

When the NCAA punished Tennessee in July 2023, the sprawling report specifically called out Pruitt for his personal involvement and that “the former head coach violated head coach responsibility rules.” Four of his former staffers reached agreements with the NCAA’s enforcement staff and were given show-cause orders.

“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,” the NCAA said in a statement Thursday. “In this case, the Committee on Infractions found violations and assigned penalties, both of which were affirmed by the Infractions Appeals Committee.”

Tennessee fired Pruitt and nine others Jan. 18, 2021, for cause after an internal…

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Publish date : 2025-03-28 16:23:00

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