KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Following an investigation into the violations within the Tennessee football program under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, the university has announced it will not self-impose a postseason bowl ban.
Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson from the University of Tennessee said the investigation of rules violations within the football program has been completed and the university is moving on to focus on rebuilding the program and supporting its student-athletes.
“We will now work to finalize a fair and efficient resolution through the applicable process while navigating a rapidly changing landscape in intercollegiate athletics that includes transformative change for the NCAA, the ‘Alston’ decision and significant new name, image and likeness rights for our student-athletes,” said Tom Satkowiak, associate athletic director of communications.
“We will hold ourselves accountable considering the nature of the violations, our prompt investigation and corrective personnel actions, the new recruiting environment and other factors.”
The move to not self-impose a bowl ban, according to Satkowiak, is in the university’s interest in protecting the rights of their innocent student-athletes.
Due to NCAA bylaws, no additional information into the investigation is available at this time, but UT says they will be releasing it when allowed to do so. “We appreciate the patience and support of our fans during this process.”
