Alabama Football: The shambles in Knoxville of a once-proud SEC program will take years to rebuild. The decay may be so severe it hurts the Crimson Tide.
It should be time for an Alabama football fan to forget even if unable to forgive. The slow but steady demise of the Tennessee Vols, which began with the decay of Phil Fulmer’s career, should have been satisfactory enough.
Following Fulmer’s career since he was an assistant coach for Johnny Majors provided a villain for many Crimson Tide fans. Count me as one of the staunchest of his detractors. Knowing the history, going back to the early 1990s reveals much about Fulmer. He is viewed by even some Vols’ fans as a deceitful man, driven by personal ambition, who was gifted Peyton Manning by David Cutcliffe, allowing an otherwise average coach to win a National Championship.
Since that National Championship season in 1998, the Vols have lost less than three games in a season, just once. The Vols lost 21 games in Fulmer’s last four seasons as Tennesee’s head coach. The deterioration of Tennessee football began before Fulmer was fired and has continued unabated since.
Fulmer navigated his way around scandals during his tenure. Many Alabama football fans believe Fulmer tried to convince the NCAA the Alabama Crimson Tide deserved the ‘Death Penalty.’ It is well known he became an NCAA informant, even while Tennesse was under investigation. That investigation, centered on payments to Tee Martin before he decided to play for the Vols. Fulmer avoided SEC Media Days one year, apparently knowing a subpoena would be served if he set foot in Alabama.
Without fully baring old wounds, let’s just say to the extent Alabama football was guilty, through a booster, in the recruitment of Albert Means, the Vols were not guiltless in that case; while also being more guilty, frequently in others. The facts have been debated for years. Some are in dispute. But anyone believing the Tennessee Vols starting breaking NCAA rules when Jeremy Pruitt became head coach is delusional.
More: Phil Fulmer’s old tricks
Nick Saban has been masterful in punishing the Vols to the great joy of Alabama football fans. Fourteen straight victories over the Vols should heal all wounds. Suddenly they don’t, because the Tennesse program may be harming the Alabama Crimson Tide again. The obvious plan in Knoxville is to sell the NCAA Jeremy Pruitt devilishly had his hand in every single violation, for which the Vols will eventually be punished.
Sadly but not ironically, Phil Fulmer has always been portrayed as Pruitt’s biggest fan. Getting Fulmer on board to make Pruitt the fall guy does not appear to have been hard. Who knows, maybe it was even Fulmer’s idea. If the carefully orchestrated damage control by the Vols succeeds, it may so tarnish Jeremy Pruitt’s career, re-hiring him for Nick Saban’s staff might be impossible. Such a result would punish more than Pruitt, it would punish the Alabama football program.
On Monday night, tweets showed Jeremy Pruitt will not leave Knoxville quietly. His canceled buyout will be the major legal battle but collateral damage can be expected.