NCAA charges Tennessee with 18 major violations under Pruitt

TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer

The NCAA has charged Tennessee with 18 recruiting violations involving allegations of impermissible cash, gifts and benefits given under former football coach Jeremy Pruitt. The school has 90 days to respond to the Level I violations. The NCAA notice of allegations says at least a dozen members of Pruitt’s staff were involved in more than 200 individual violations over a two-year period. Pruitt and nine others were fired for cause in January 2021 after an internal investigation. Chancellor Donde Plowman had said Pruitt was responsible for overseeing the football program. The firing negated Pruitt’s $12.6 million buyout after he went 16-19 in three seasons.