Tennessee athletics director Danny White said the university is the NCAA’s “partner” in the ongoing investigation into the Vols football program’s recruiting violations.
UT has been billed more than $756,000 in legal fees during that cooperative effort, according to documents obtained by Knox News via a public records request. But there is no timetable for it to conclude, White said.
“We’re not going to investigate this thing and then hand it over to the NCAA, where they have to go investigate it again,” White said to the Rotary Club of Knoxville on Tuesday. “They have been involved in every single interview, every step of the way.
“… It may feel like it’s going slow because it’s been six, seven months since we started. But look at some other cases around the country, and they last three or four years.”
How big is Tennessee’s legal bill?
The university and NCAA are continuing a monthslong investigation into allegations of NCAA rules violations pertaining to recruiting that are alleged to have occurred during former coach Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure.
White was hired as Tennessee athletics director on Jan. 21. He hired Pruitt’s replacement, Josh Heupel, on Jan. 27. They’ll inherit the result of the investigation, which has accrued a growing legal tab.
From November to June, the university was billed for $756,453 in legal fees by Bond, Schoeneck and King, a law firm from Overland Park, Kansas, that specializes in athletics compliance reviews. Its invoice for July is not yet available.
“(It is) the most reputable (law firm) by far in terms of their work with NCAA staff,” White said. “And our staff is talking to the (NCAA) enforcement staff daily.”
The largest monthly bill from Bond, Schoeneck and King to the university was $189,171 in January. And the June tab was $90,720.
“We want to prevent (an investigation of years) from happening,” White said. “We want to get through it and show that we are going to operate from a place of high integrity. We want to put this thing behind us, and I’m confident that’s what we’re going to do.
“But I can’t really put a time frame on it. It would be impossible.”
Prioritizing ‘integrity’ in athletics staff
Pruitt, along with two assistants and seven additional staff members in recruiting, player personnel or quality control were fired for cause on Jan. 18. Additionally, athletics director Phillip Fulmer stepped down and announced his retirement.
And, on April 30, assistant athletics director for compliance Adam Tate signed a resignation acknowledgement letter from the university. He was responsible for overseeing compliance of the Vols football program for the past two seasons.
“An absolute prerequisite with me in (hiring) any position is (that) I’m not going to have any questions about their integrity,” White said. “I’ve worked really hard throughout my career to know enough people in our business, so that we know who can sell themselves in an interview and who can really walk the walk and have substance.”
At the time of the firings, Chancellor Donde Plowman said the university’s investigation had revealed evidence of sweeping and serious NCAA violations occurring under Pruitt’s watch. The university began an investigation into the rules violations after Plowman’s office on Nov. 13 received a verbal allegation of NCAA rules violations occurring within the football program.
In speaking to the Rotary Club, White acknowledged Tennessee’s “missteps” and the impact on the Knoxville area if the Vols have the reputation of cheating.
“If we use that platform to do things that shed a negative light on the university, it’s counterproductive to our whole region for the existence (of Tennessee athletics),” White said. “I get that. Our university leadership certainly gets that.
“I think they made a pretty strong statement in the actions they made last fall.”
Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@gannett.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks. Blake Toppmeyer contributed to this report.
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