Bruce Pearl hopes to avoid further sanctions
After learning of his eight-game in-conference suspension last week, Tennessee Volunteers head basketball coach Bruce Pearl hopes to avoid any further penalties against his program.
Last week, Pearl was informed by SEC (Southeastern Conference) commissioner Mike Slive that he would miss the first eight games of his team’s in-conference schedule while serving the suspension.
The ruling stems from recruiting violations perpetrated by Pearl and his staff, as well as the coach’s subsequent dishonesty toward investigators regarding said violations.
As early as February, the university will have to meet with an infractions committee to deal with the allegations. Tennessee, meanwhile, is also waiting for the NCAA to conclude investigations into their baseball and football programs, and will appear before
the committee representing all three sports.
As part of his penalties, Pearl will not be allowed to recruit prospects away from Tennessee’s campus for a calendar year, starting on 24 September. Furthermore, Pearl was also hit with a fine that will reduce his salary by an accumulated amount of $1.5 million
over time, essentially $300,000 every year over the course of the next five years.
Although he will not be permitted to lead his team on actual game days, Pearl remains optimistic that the suspension will not affect his squad’s overall routine, as the coach will be allowed to both run the team’s practices as well as travel with the club.
Assistant coach Tony Jones will helm the Volunteers in Pearl’s absence.
"I'll be calling all the plays, preparing the game plans, getting everything set. Tony will just execute it," Pearl said, according to ESPN.com. "I’ll be travelling with the team. I’ll be like the injured point guard. The rest of the team just steps up and
takes over."
Oddly enough, in the midst of his suspension, Pearl will be allowed to come back on 22 January to coach the Volunteers when they take on the Connecticut Huskies, a non-conference foe. According to Pearl, "Commissioner Slive didn’t include the Connecticut game
because that’s not where his authority lies."
Tags: