With the culture at Tennessee under attack, the university’s head coaches decided to go on the offensive.
At a press conference conference Tuesday morning, the 16 head coaches of the university’s varsity sports programs, including football’s Butch Jones, defiantly defended the culture surrounding the athletic department that’s come under heavy fire in recent days. Most damning, a federal lawsuit filed by six former UT students in which it’s claimed the university “has created a student culture that enables sexual assaults by student-athletes, especially football players.”
Over the weekend, Jones stridently defended his program -- a handful of incidents related to sexual assault have come on his watch -- and claimed “we have a good culture in place.” A couple of days later, Jones, as well his fellow coaches, were hellbent on keeping up that positive tackKaren Weekly says the culture is “wonderful” at UT. Says it’s “the best it’s ever been.”
— Dustin Dopirak (@TennesseeBeat) February 23, 2016
Karen Weekly: The image that’s being displayed of our culture is unfair. And that’s why we are here.
— Kelsey Leyrer (@WVLTKelsey) February 23, 2016
WBB coach Holly Warlick: if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t hesitate to have her here at Tennessee. This is a special place.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) February 23, 2016
WSoccer coach Brian Pensky: Our athletics department has been taking a beating for years. It was time for us to step up and say something.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) February 23, 2016
@UTCoachJones says the team leaders are embarrassed & upset about the perceptions of the culture at @UTKnoxville
— MJ Slaby (@mjslaby) February 23, 2016
According to men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes, the coaches decided to conduct the press conference on their own and weren’t prodded by the athletic department to do so. Whether the public display of unity will do anything to change the current perception of the school remains to be seen, although it was likely a necessary step to help stem the negative recruiting that’s impacting all sports -- especially football, which is the sport at the root of most of accusations made by the victims in the lawsuit.
Jones: “Our competitors are using (the culture perception) against us.”
— Dustin Dopirak (@TennesseeBeat) February 23, 2016
Jones: We’re being stereotyped here, and I take it personally. We’ve had some kids make tough choices, but we have great character kids.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) February 23, 2016
Jones: “Everything is about the alleged victims. We feel for them. We hurt for them. It starts there first and foremost.”
— Dustin Dopirak (@TennesseeBeat) February 23, 2016