Welcome back to everyone's favorite. It's another edition of "THE NATIONAL MEDIA HATES THE VOLS".
In this installment, we'll cover the recent Tennessee football fines and the predictable faux-outrage that's followed from the national media.
Here's an explanation on what all went down leading up to this past week's announcement.
CliffsNotes: In 2021, Tennessee did an internal investigation which led to Jeremy Pruitt getting shitcanned for being bad/breaking the rules. In addition to the allegations, he stunk while he was at Tennessee - we lost to Kentucky at home (a fireable offense in itself). After that, the NCAA got involved, did their own thing, and we got slapped with some sanctions and a fine. And not just any fine, more than $8 million.
As you might imagine, this decision from the NCAA drew scrutiny from the squeaky wheels that live to bash Tennessee and its fans. If you listen closely you can hear them, screaming at the clouds, "No postseason ban?!" A sweaty, trembling college football columnist hunkers over his keyboard to unleash a "This sets a dangerous precedent!" Never mind the fact that this was the largest fine ever issued by the NCAA infractions committee. Never mind they yanked 28 scholarships and restricted official visits. Short of full eradication, this result was never gonna be enough for the insatiable sad lads that want nothing more than to see Tennessee crash and burn, relegated to a postseason graveyard for the actions of a bygone doofus.
When Tennessee decided it was a good idea to pay him millions to be a head coach, they opened themselves up to the catfish brain of Jeremy Pruitt and that's on them. I mean, he was handing out cash in fast food bags, to go with hundreds (seriously) other serious allegations. The way he and his staff were operating it sounds like they were begging to get caught. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, but he was doing what other programs do, only very poorly. This isn't me saying that any of this was okay. This is me saying if you're gonna be bad, be good at it.
Maybe he was at Alabama and similar stuff happens there, I don't know. That's neither here nor there, those claims are unsubstantiated and we won't go down that dark highway (I'm sure Alabama is a squeaky clean program where these things would never happen *wink wink*). Plus, even if he did pick up on these things at Alabama and that staff is doing it there, they're certainly doing so with a little more care and efficiency, so whatever. We're talking about a man that didn't know what asparagus was until he was 32 years old.
Pruitt screwed the pooch, this much we know. He also cooperated, so here we are. All we're left with is two seasons of vacated wins and an era of Tennessee football that can be mostly scrubbed from recent memory. The news has broken and the case is closed, but never underestimate the high-and-mighty ghouls that somehow still comprise the national sports media conglomerate. With Tennessee in the headlines, naturally there are some who think we deserve the guillotine.
Dennis Dodd: Hates The Vols
Dennis Dodd is just flat-out sad that we didn't receive the death penalty. Not to mention this headline is simply inaccurate, but that's what these people do. They lie, mislead, and instigate under the guise of fairness, assuming the role of the moral caretakers of college football. Lacking punishment? Maybe if he wrote the headline as "The punishment isn't good enough for me and it's very unfair! I demand satisfaction!" we could take him seriously, but he took a different route. Just to reiterate: It's the biggest fine they've ever given!
Nevertheless, Cobweb Dennis is typing himself into a frenzy, blurring the line between "rules" and "guidelines" to fit his own anti-Vols narrative. He says "the existing rules" state that we "probably" deserve a two-year postseason ban, but more recent "guidelines" say otherwise. Clear as mud! In other words, he's cherry-picking because he doesn't like their decision. He also attributes no postseason ban on the Tennessee Attorney General who threatened to sue the NCAA if they did (power move, if you ask me). What good does that do when none of the student-athletes/coaches on the team now had anything to do with it? We fired everyone and self-reported! Maybe Dennis would rather have teams not pick up the phone at all when the NCAA calls. Dennis is advocating for anarchy.
Above all else, and I'll go out on a limb here, but it almost feels as if the NCAA is making it up as they go!
Dodd says the outcome is unfair, as anti-Vols tears stream down his face.
Let's just be honest - anything less than the death penalty was never going to be enough. No one's condoning the actions of Jeremy Pruitt, they're rightfully being admonished. Ironically, Dennis says this outcome is unfair and wants harsher sentencing, which would unfairly punish the current players and staff. If it wasn't Tennessee there would be far less concern.
Pat Forde: Still Hates The Vols
Every now and then, Pat Forde crawls out of his stinky slimy hole to give his unwanted opinion on the Tennessee Vols. Ever silent is he when things are good, but he'll gleefully emerge to celebrate any shortcomings. Aside from tweeting about collegiate swimming, he reliably surfaces with strong (inflammatory) opinions on Tennessee athletics and its fans if given the opportunity. No one, and I repeat, NO ONE has relished in the struggles that the Tennessee athletic department has endured more than the sadistic coward Pat Forde. He doesn't like Tennessee nor does he like its fans. It's safe to say the feeling's mutual after he called the entire Tennessee fanbase "petulant". He likes to stick his nose into every single thing that happens not with professionalism as a national columnist, but with clear, raging anti-Tennessee bias. It's a smugness that Vols fans are used to at this point, but his intentions are clear: antagonize Tennessee fans at any cost to drive up clicks because he's a bore otherwise.
He likes to get his shots in. He likes to involve himself any time he can, just to poke and prod. More recently, he's struggling to handle the fact that, after several years of chaos and uncertainty, Tennessee is on an upward trajectory - once again a stable destination program for coaches and players. He seemingly can't NOT fire off and just do his job without stooping to sad levels of petty. Here's what he felt was necessary to include in his coverage of the recent punishments, an inclusion both irrelevant and confusing.
What is the meaning of this? Does Greg Schiano like, have nudes of Pat Forde? Why even say this? None of this has anything to do with Greg Schiano, man. Move on! Pat Forde's feelings are still so ruined over this, it's just weird at this point. The only explanation is that Schiano has a trapper-keeper filled with naked photos of Pat stuffed away somewhere as blackmail in case he ever fails to defend his honor against Tennessee fans online.
He just had to get a desperate jab in there about the fans vetoing the hiring of his friend, but guess what? Life is a highway, and God blessed the broken road that led us straight to here. Also, eat shit.
In some ways, it's all come full circle. Gone are the days where we're a tortured fanbase on the brink of disaster, we've lived through that. Pat continues to cover college sports and I know it pains him to see us in a better place now. In a snarky, roundabout way this is Pat begrudgingly confirming that we were actually right all along.
Other Notables that Hate the Vols but are presumably stunned silent: Dan Wolken, Dan Wetzel - I haven't forgotten about you two corncobs.
No two ways about it, these select individuals from the national media are meager and sad. They'll sit idly by, eating their own boogers until something, ANYTHING, happens with Tennessee. Then they initiate a cycle of belittling and antagonism toward Tennessee and its fans. They get engagement online because they know that fans will be upset, we're a passionate fanbase and we WILL NOT hesitate to dish out merciless owns online. They continue this lazy, cyclical trend throughout the entire athletic calendar year. I will again encourage you all, my fellow Tennessee fans, not to take the bait and enjoy our ascent.
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