At least for the moment, one of Butch Jones’ most trusted aides is persona non grata around the Tennessee football complex.
According to multiple media outlets in the area, UT director of football operations Chris Spognardi has been placed on paid administrative leave by the university. 247Sports.com is reporting that Spognardi has been “removed from his duties” as the paid leave is “standard protocol.”
Just what triggered the paid leave is unknown, although the recruiting website notes that it involves an unspecified legal matter.
Spognardi has been by Jones’s side for a decade, first at Western Michigan and then at Cincinnati before following the head coach to Knoxville. The Associated Press writes that Spognardi’s “responsibilities at Tennessee have included day-to-day operations of off-field football matters, such as travel. His salary is $80,800.”
He was promoted to his current position in 2014.