If Tennessee thought Jeremy Pruitt was the type to go quietly in the night and forgo a $12 million buyout, well…
You may remember something Lyons said after he got Jeff Long to capitulate.
Shots have already been fired in Knoxville.
Tennessee’s firing of football coach Jeremy Pruitt appeared to be an “orchestrated effort” focused on “financial convenience and expediency” over fairness, Pruitt’s lawyer, Michael Lyons, said in a statement to Knox News on Monday night.
Pruitt hired Lyons and the firm Lyons & Simmons after he was fired for cause by Tennessee earlier Monday following an internal investigation.
“He is extremely disappointed with the decision, the public announcement of which was made prior to any substantive opportunity to respond before the appropriate decision makers,” Lyons said in a statement made on Pruitt’s behalf. “We believe the decision to be the culmination of an orchestrated effort to renege on contractual promises made to Coach Pruitt upon his hiring in 2017 and reiterated less than five months ago.”
Nice touch, reminding everyone what a dumbass Phil Fulmer was for agreeing to that extension.
“The timing of the University’s actions and decision appear to be preordained and more about financial convenience and expediency than a fair and complete factual determination by the University,” Lyons said. “Moreover, it seems clear the recent leaks to the press are indicative of an interest to steer the narrative in a way that is desirable to the University to justify a decision likely made weeks ago.”
Well, duh.
Look, once the wheels were set in motion, this was only going to end in one way — the side who knows where most of the bodies are buried will win. And that’s not as clear cut for Jeremy Pruitt as it was for David Beaty, at least if the allegations the UT brass made yesterday about serious NCAA violations are true.
Grab the popcorn bag and wait to see who blinks first.