After having read every word of the document dump, I thought it would be interesting to get some clarity on who the nature of how the primaries faired in regards to who came out a winner ^, a loser \/, trending positive +, trending negative -.
Phil Fulmer ^ Phillip played this very smart. He was left out of the loop for the first 5 candidates and when we moved to number 6 he was invited in to lend a hand and he graciously did so. Then, he ends up winning the lottery in the Currie drawing while securing the AD's job.
John Currie \/ Currie could not have scripted his demise more perfectly had he sat down and planned to do so. From his arrogant approach of keeping such a tight circle of underlings in the know to his obvious connection to Haslam's choice in Schiano, he was a loser from the get go. His statements regarding the Schiano article and media backlash that followed Mike McQueary's testimony in the civil suit was telling and damning. He was clearly in over his head. Then after the Schiano fiasco, he digs his heels in deeper by doubling down on his private search. He added intrigue upon intrigue with his stealthy flight manipulations and his refusal to access some of the most capable minds on The Hill until very late in the process. Multiple AD employees warned him the Schiano hire would not be received well. Then we have the 6 hour blackout, blamed on Delta WiFi problems, which I feel very few people believed, including the Chancellor. Then, he goes rogue and jumps on Leach before being ordered home like a teenager who had overstayed his curfew.
Beverly Davenport + I see her as neither a loser or winner in this. She had the impossible task of handling a subordinate who was still tasked with the job of finding the next head coach while carrying the burden of the fan backlash, the irate legislators and the many livid donors. All the while she was juggling the very real possibility of having to fire that subordinate while attempting to calm the storm of fan outrage, angry politicians and hostile donors, some of whom were threatening to withhold donations. While she wasn’t a winner in this, she did appear to make positive strides in quelling the storm, the likes of which UT athletics had never seen before.
Reid Sigmon \/ Sigmon let email after email go unanswered. It’s as if the fans were just a nuisance he’d rather not deal with. How about now Reid?
Rich Bisaccia \/ I was actually embarrassed for him. His level of begging for the job was humiliating and the unfortunate thing about it was, he didn’t seem to have a clue as to just how self-degrading he made himself appear.
Charlie Anderson ^ Charlie took a décontracté approché tactiqueto the correspondence with Currie and continued to use that laid back encounter to utterly gut Currie like a carp.
Greg Schiano \/ \/ Maybe the biggest loser in the entire affair. Fair or unfair, the article in 2016 forever tied him to the Sandusky scandal and no one who is touched by that sordid affair will ever be the same again. Was McQueary honest in his testimony in the civil case? Ask yourself this question; what did he have to gain by lying about Schiano’s involvement? This was the man whose credibility was questioned, then used to put Sandusky behind bars for 20 lifetimes. I don’t see his credibility as an issue.
Jim Haslam \/ While scant evidence is seen in the dump regarding his involvement, it is well known that he and Schiano became extremely close since Haslam purchased the Browns. Make what you will of that. I think it’s naïve to think he wasn’t heavily involved in pulling the strings that were attached to Currie’s every move prior to the Schiano meltdown. Big money talks and there’s been no bigger money than the Haslam family over the last quarter century. And for all of the naysayers regarding the Haslam family, they have been very benevolent and they have done a tremendous amount of good things for the university. Fair is fair, and I am convinced that is a fair approach to these folks who really do love the university.
Joan Cronin - After reading her correspondence with Currie, well, it was just sad. Stick to what you know Joan. You waded out into the deep grass and got lost. What were you thinking?
Everyone who texted John Currie and told him “I’ve got your back.” \/ What a kiss of death that was.
Peyton Manning - Peyton got pulled in to this simply because of his love for Tennessee. I won’t criticize him for trying to help put a good face on the situation, but this has scarred his reputation with Vol fans to some degree, I think unfairly, but scars can heal with time and I believe his love for UT is unquestionable and I give him a pass.
The University Itself \/ This has damaged the university’s reputation. It brought to the forefront what many of us have either suspected or iterated in forums such as this; the university leaders for over a decade have had a vast disconnect between their approach to their jobs and the welfare of the Athletic Department in general and the Football program in particular. They’ve fiddled while Rome burned and this time it darned near burned them with it. Perhaps the insertion of Fulmer into the mix will give them the ‘hands on’ experience in that arena that has been missing for over a decade. For those who believe it takes an academic to run an athletic department, I would point to Alabama. Mal Moore and Bill Battle were both former coaches and that worked out pretty well.
The Fans + Whoever painted the rock is an idiot. The fan revolt, however ESPN portrays in the soon coming documentary, (yes, it will happen) was not just justified, it was needed. It brought a dose of reality into the equation that the university leaders had needed for a long time.
Last, and most importantly Tennessee Football \/ We mayhave gotten a gem in Pruitt and we may have gotten Jones II. Laugh and scorn if you will but no one has a clue how well Pruitt’s tenure will leave Tennessee Football. For all the well-wishing and high hopes, he’s an unproven head coach with a monumental task of developing his own system on the fly while simultaneously trying to quiet the masses of Vol fans who are tired of losing and have shown that they have a very limited ability to support anyone beyond 3 seasons. This won’t get fixed in 3 seasons. There’s no better barometer of just how low the program is than the musical chairs he’s currently having to play with players and positions. My fear is that if we didn’t get it right with Pruitt, we will never be relevant again.
Phil Fulmer ^ Phillip played this very smart. He was left out of the loop for the first 5 candidates and when we moved to number 6 he was invited in to lend a hand and he graciously did so. Then, he ends up winning the lottery in the Currie drawing while securing the AD's job.
John Currie \/ Currie could not have scripted his demise more perfectly had he sat down and planned to do so. From his arrogant approach of keeping such a tight circle of underlings in the know to his obvious connection to Haslam's choice in Schiano, he was a loser from the get go. His statements regarding the Schiano article and media backlash that followed Mike McQueary's testimony in the civil suit was telling and damning. He was clearly in over his head. Then after the Schiano fiasco, he digs his heels in deeper by doubling down on his private search. He added intrigue upon intrigue with his stealthy flight manipulations and his refusal to access some of the most capable minds on The Hill until very late in the process. Multiple AD employees warned him the Schiano hire would not be received well. Then we have the 6 hour blackout, blamed on Delta WiFi problems, which I feel very few people believed, including the Chancellor. Then, he goes rogue and jumps on Leach before being ordered home like a teenager who had overstayed his curfew.
Beverly Davenport + I see her as neither a loser or winner in this. She had the impossible task of handling a subordinate who was still tasked with the job of finding the next head coach while carrying the burden of the fan backlash, the irate legislators and the many livid donors. All the while she was juggling the very real possibility of having to fire that subordinate while attempting to calm the storm of fan outrage, angry politicians and hostile donors, some of whom were threatening to withhold donations. While she wasn’t a winner in this, she did appear to make positive strides in quelling the storm, the likes of which UT athletics had never seen before.
Reid Sigmon \/ Sigmon let email after email go unanswered. It’s as if the fans were just a nuisance he’d rather not deal with. How about now Reid?
Rich Bisaccia \/ I was actually embarrassed for him. His level of begging for the job was humiliating and the unfortunate thing about it was, he didn’t seem to have a clue as to just how self-degrading he made himself appear.
Charlie Anderson ^ Charlie took a décontracté approché tactiqueto the correspondence with Currie and continued to use that laid back encounter to utterly gut Currie like a carp.
Greg Schiano \/ \/ Maybe the biggest loser in the entire affair. Fair or unfair, the article in 2016 forever tied him to the Sandusky scandal and no one who is touched by that sordid affair will ever be the same again. Was McQueary honest in his testimony in the civil case? Ask yourself this question; what did he have to gain by lying about Schiano’s involvement? This was the man whose credibility was questioned, then used to put Sandusky behind bars for 20 lifetimes. I don’t see his credibility as an issue.
Jim Haslam \/ While scant evidence is seen in the dump regarding his involvement, it is well known that he and Schiano became extremely close since Haslam purchased the Browns. Make what you will of that. I think it’s naïve to think he wasn’t heavily involved in pulling the strings that were attached to Currie’s every move prior to the Schiano meltdown. Big money talks and there’s been no bigger money than the Haslam family over the last quarter century. And for all of the naysayers regarding the Haslam family, they have been very benevolent and they have done a tremendous amount of good things for the university. Fair is fair, and I am convinced that is a fair approach to these folks who really do love the university.
Joan Cronin - After reading her correspondence with Currie, well, it was just sad. Stick to what you know Joan. You waded out into the deep grass and got lost. What were you thinking?
Everyone who texted John Currie and told him “I’ve got your back.” \/ What a kiss of death that was.
Peyton Manning - Peyton got pulled in to this simply because of his love for Tennessee. I won’t criticize him for trying to help put a good face on the situation, but this has scarred his reputation with Vol fans to some degree, I think unfairly, but scars can heal with time and I believe his love for UT is unquestionable and I give him a pass.
The University Itself \/ This has damaged the university’s reputation. It brought to the forefront what many of us have either suspected or iterated in forums such as this; the university leaders for over a decade have had a vast disconnect between their approach to their jobs and the welfare of the Athletic Department in general and the Football program in particular. They’ve fiddled while Rome burned and this time it darned near burned them with it. Perhaps the insertion of Fulmer into the mix will give them the ‘hands on’ experience in that arena that has been missing for over a decade. For those who believe it takes an academic to run an athletic department, I would point to Alabama. Mal Moore and Bill Battle were both former coaches and that worked out pretty well.
The Fans + Whoever painted the rock is an idiot. The fan revolt, however ESPN portrays in the soon coming documentary, (yes, it will happen) was not just justified, it was needed. It brought a dose of reality into the equation that the university leaders had needed for a long time.
Last, and most importantly Tennessee Football \/ We mayhave gotten a gem in Pruitt and we may have gotten Jones II. Laugh and scorn if you will but no one has a clue how well Pruitt’s tenure will leave Tennessee Football. For all the well-wishing and high hopes, he’s an unproven head coach with a monumental task of developing his own system on the fly while simultaneously trying to quiet the masses of Vol fans who are tired of losing and have shown that they have a very limited ability to support anyone beyond 3 seasons. This won’t get fixed in 3 seasons. There’s no better barometer of just how low the program is than the musical chairs he’s currently having to play with players and positions. My fear is that if we didn’t get it right with Pruitt, we will never be relevant again.
