Today, it was reported that former Tennessee Vols basketball coach Bruce Pearl would be handed a 3-year ’show-cause’ penalty from the NCAA.  One of the harshest penalties the NCAA can levy against a (former) head coach.

The University, according to the report, wouldn’t be penalized any further.

The report if true will bring a bit of closure for the University of Tennessee Athletic Department after one of the most hectic and dramatic years in the history of college sports.

Last summer it became public that Pearl had lied to the NCAA about a photo of current Ohio State guard (who was a high school junior at the time) Aaron Craft.  Pearl said he didn’t know where the photo was taken.  The photo was in fact taken in his own house at a Bar-B-Q he was hosting for players and recruits.

The Vols reprimanded Pearl by banning him from recruiting off campus for a year (Sep 24, 2010 – Sep 23, 2011) and docked him $1.5 million in pay on September 10, 2010.

The SEC suspended Pearl for 8 SEC Conference games on November 18, 2010.

The University fired Pearl after the past NCAA basketball season on March 21, 2011.

Tennessee hires Cuonzo Martin as the new head coach just 6 days after firing Pearl on March 27, 2011.

Vols Athletic Director Mike Hamilton was fired/resigned on June 7, 2011.

(And this was all after the Lane Kiffen departure drama in Knoxville.)

I normally wouldn’t post a prediction or personal email but when a pompous friend attempts to call me out on Twitter for not tweeting anything about his Vols not getting additional penalities from the NCAA it made me do some research.   Because I seemed to remember laying it all out for him several months ago as to what I thought would happen regarding Pearl.

Here is the email I sent back on September 17, 2010 to Matt Williams when a lot of the violations Pearl committed became known by the public.

From: Holmes, Joshua
Date: Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: sure you have seen this by now
To: “Williams, Matt”

Hamilton might should be fired for that Pearl contract by itself. A lot of protection for Pearl in that.

Wolken said last night he wouldn’t be surprised if Pearl was suspended for the year.

Here is what I think quickly: The NCAA will hit UT or Pearl rather hard.

I think, almost either way, and there will be some penalty…but big or small Pearl is gone. Remember if they fire Pearl and hire a new coach that the new coach has no recruiting restrictions unless the NCAA hammers that. But Pearl’s recruiting restrictions by the University wouldn’t apply to a new coach. I think UT is hoping Pearl can secure a good class in the next two weeks. Otherwise I think it would have been smart go go ahead and bite the bullet and start the restrictions immediately. It would have looked a lot better to the NCAA as well. I think UT hopes Pearl has a haul of a class, the NCAA then if they strike UT or Pearl almost in any way, then they will fire Pearl and hire a new coach that could recruit without limit. And it would be easier to get a good coach because of where Pearl has put the program, barring any major NCAA sanctions. I think Pearl should be the one penalized hard by the NCAA not UT.

Remember all we lost at Memphis just because the NCAA ‘believed’ but hat no proof that Derrick Rose didn’t take his ACT. Rose was cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Memphis played him, then after the season they got hit. Totally different scenario, but like I mentioned before, the NCAA and Congress don’t take lying lightly.

Just my opinion.

So to sum it up:

1. “Hamilton might should be fired for that Pearl contract by itself.” – Hamilton resigned/fired on June 7, 2011
2. “I think, almost either way, and there will be some penalty…but big or small Pearl is gone.” – Pearl fired on March 21, 2011
3. “Remember if they fire Pearl and hire a new coach that the new coach has no recruiting restrictions unless the NCAA hammers that.” – Vols hire Cuonzo Martin on March 27, 2011 (just 6 days after firing Pearl). No recruiting restrictions on Martin as the off-campus recruiting ban only applied to Pearl.
4. “I think Pearl should be the one penalized hard by the NCAA not UT.” – NCAA gives Pearl 3-year ’show-cause’ penalty on August 23, 2011

Moral of the Pearl story? The coverup is always worse than the crime. There are three people you don’t lie to: 1. God, 2. Congress/IRS and 3. the NCAA.

And be careful who you try to clown on Twitter!

It has been confirmed that University of Tennessee Vols Athletic Director Mike Hamilton is resigning this morning after an extremely rough last couple of years for the Vols’ athletic programs.

UT President Joe DiPietro sent an email this morning to the Board of Trustees informing them of the resignation.

“He’s an outstanding guy who’s done a lot of good things for the university, so obviously we’re going to work hard to find somebody to replace him,” Murphy said.

The school was rocked by then football coach Lane Kiffin leaving after just one season to go coach the USC Trojans.  Kiffin racked up several minor NCAA violations during his brief tenure.

Basketball coach Bruce Pearl then landed the school in hot water after lying to the NCAA about having recruits over at his house for a bar-b-q.  Pearl was fired earlier this year after the NCAA tournament.

Hamilton stood by Pearl, perhaps too long, and in the end it likely cost him his job along with the accrued damage done from all of the drama in the athletic department that even included the baseball team.

The school must have been alerted that the NCAA plans to hammer them pretty hard later this week from the Pearl fiasco.

Hamilton did a great job raising money and getting athletic facilities built while he was the athletic director at the school.

Memphis Tigers head basketball coach Josh Pastner was on the hot seat the second half of the season as his team struggled in Conference USA play with embarrassing losses to Rice, East Carolina, SMU, among others.

However, the Tigers came together in the last month to win the C-USA tournament and earn an NCAA Tournament bid in just Pastner’s second season as a head coach.

Paster was rewarded on Tuesday when the University of Memphis bumped his $880,000 annual salary to $1.7 million annually through the 2015-16 season.  That’s a total of 5 seasons for $8.5 million.

That is by far the most money in the country for a college basketball coach that has never won an NCAA Tournament game.  But the Tigers came awfully close against the Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the tourney and were a blown call away from possibly sending the game into overtime and winning.

Pastner, 33, was the youngest coach in the tournament.  He played at Arizona under Lute Olsen and went on to be an assistant for the Wildcats for several seasons before moving to Memphis to serve as an assistant to former Memphis coach John Calipari for one year.

Josh thought he was going with Calipari when he bolted in the middle of the night for the Kentucky job.  However, after Memphis AD R.C. Johnson was turned down by several experienced, high-profile coaching candidates he turned to Pastner in an act of desperation.  That act of desperation, perhaps dumb RCJ luck, is now paying dividends for all partiest involved.

Many basketball pundits knew Josh would one day be a head coach, just no one thought it would happen as soon as it did.

“Josh has proven himself to be an outstanding coach and recruiter. He has also demonstrated that his values and principles, pertaining to life off the basketball court, mirror those we expect of our student-athletes. Coach Pastner’s leadership qualities are exemplary, and we are pleased that he has chosen to remain with the Tiger program,” Johnson told reporters after the announcement.

He wasted no time in securing the top recruiting class in the country his first full season at Memphis.  He then took that team to the tourney.  Now he is being paid along the lines of the best and most high profile college basketball coaches in the country.

In comparison, the Tennessee Vols just hired Cuonzo Martin.  Martin is set to make $1.3 million.  The Vols athletic budget trumps the Tigers’ into oblivion.

The Tigers should be even better next season.  They are returning all of their players with the exception of senior Will Coleman.  Pastner secured top 10 high school recruit Adonis Thomas to join the team next year as well.  The Tigers played six freshman for most of their minutes throughout the season.

With the big payday, expectations will naturally increase as well.  Just don’t be surprised when Pastner meets and exceeds them.

The Tennessee Vols wasted no time in replacing fired head basketball coach Bruce Pearl.  The Vols have announced Missouri State coach Cuonzo Martin as the next coach to lead the program.

The men’s program is likely to face probation and sanctions from Pearl’s malfeasance with NCAA investigators.  Pearl lied to investigators about a photo that was taken at a cookout at his house where recruits illegally attended.

Martin played his college basketball at Purdue where he was a star. He also played briefly in the NBA and overseas as well. It won’t be easy for Martin replacing Pearl.

Pearl was beloved by UT fans and despite his troubles nearly 90% of Vols fans wanted the University to retain him. Martin’s job won’t be easy due to how popular Pearl was with UT fans and the high level of success he had in his six seasons in Knoxville.

Cuonzo led the Missouri State to a 26-9 record this season and a first round exit in the NIT tournament.  Missouri State plays in the MVC.  His overall coaching record at Missouri State is 61-41 with a 26-28 record in MVC conference play.

Here are a few of the many instant Twitter reactions for sports media figures, athletes, and fans alike in response to the Tennessee Vols firing Bruce Pearl as their head men’s basketball coach on Monday.

Erik Ainge - @ErikAinge3: for the second time in my life im ashamed of my own university, I know the big time boosters and I hope they stop donating

Wes Rucker - @wesrucker247: Even though this isn’t a surprise, many people are too emotional to talk at the moment. Bruce Pearl meant a lot to many people here.

Adam Zagoria – @adamzagoria: Tobias and Tyler Harris both without a coach; Tobias to test NBA Draft waters http://tinyurl.com/6carhpb

Dan Wetzel - @DanWetzel: Only two things end a coaching career — losing and death. Pearl will be back

Pam Chvotkin – @reddusfoximus: Thank you, Bruce Pearl & UT Athletics for allowing me the chance to work in sports, where I might never have gotten to do from anyone else.

Dan Wolken – @danwolken: Here’s the truth about Pearl. Money, fame and success changed him for the worse. Not the same guy today that he was at Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Every Day Should Be Saturday – @edsbs: Easy answer to Tennessee’s problems:#PATSUMMITCOACHESEVERYTHING

Eric Berry – @berry1429: Wherever Bruce ends up imma still b #teampearl

Michael Low Jr. – @_DiabLow: We owe Bruce a lot. But the bottom line is he continually broke the rules. Hate to see him go, hope a Smart hire is made…

Blake Cox – @Blake_Cox1236 : Students have painted the rock “we are bruce. Fire hamilton”

Ran Fin – @ranfin12: Can Erik Ainge really be ashamed of ANYTHING when he was suspended for steroids??? GTFOH Ainge…

Gary Parrish – @garyparrishcbs: Aaron Craft on Bruce Pearl to CBSSports.com: “My heart goes out to him. … He was a good guy to me.” Blog: http://bit.ly/ijl9w2

It has been an extremely hectic couple of years not only for the University of Tennessee Vols men’s basketball program but for the UT Athletic Department as a whole since the Lane Kiffin hiring debacle.

Head basketball coach Bruce Pearl and the Vols have been in trouble since Pearl entertained high school juniors at his house two years ago and then lied to NCAA investigators about a photo taken at his house during the Bar-B-Que.  Pearl told the investigators he had no clue where the photo was taken.  The photo was taken in his house.

Pearl called the NCAA a few days later to let them know that he had lied and misled them.

Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton stood behind Pearl the entire time and all intentions throughout were that Pearl would be retained for the 2011-12 basketball season.

Pearl was suspended for 8 SEC games during the 2010/11 season. Many thought that would be the only punishment to come to Pearl and a sign that the University would keep him.

However, reports are clearly stating today that Pearl has been fired as the head basketball coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.

In his six seasons at UT, the Vols men’s program experienced success on a level it never had before.  Pearl led the Vols to a #1 ranking a couple of years ago and multiple NCAA appearances.

The Vols and Hamilton really muffed the handling of Pearl’s future from the start.  They should have either fired him back in September and started the process moving forward or decided to keep him come hell or high water.  Instead, Hamilton tried to straddle the fence and it will likely hurt the UT men’s basketball program for a long time to come.

However, Hamilton docked Pearl $1.5 million in salary over the course of his contract and banned him from off-campus recruiting visits for 1 year.

The toughest part is that Pearl has about a 90% approval rating among Vol fans.  His successor will struggle to leave up to Pearl’s personality or the level of success he had in Knoxville.

Pearl’s problems and the handling of them by Hamilton seemed to play a number on the team as the season progressed. The Vols started off 7-0 and were ranked #7 before the wheels fell off. The team still managed to make the NCAA tournament, but they were blown out by 30 points in the opening round by the Michigan Wolverines.

Let’s not forget that the NCAA has not decided how severely or in what ways they will punish the program.  That ruling will come in June.

RELATED: TWITTERVERSE RESPONDS TO BRUCE PEARL FIRING

Hopson hit the free throws down the stretch as the Vols came from behind with 10 minutes left to play to upset Vanderbilt in Nashville.  The Vols won 60-51 over the #18 ranked Commodores.

We will see how hard the NCAA hammers the Vols and Hopson’s balls tomorrow when their letter to the University of Tennessee detailing several NCAA violations will be released to the public.

The NCAA has delivered it’s letter of finding to the Tennessee Vols regarding possible NCAA violations by the men’s basketball program.

According to Fox Sports Jeff Goodman, the NCAA will allege Vols head coach basketball coach Bruce Pearl of ‘Unethical Conduct’ along with ‘Failure to Promote an Atmosphere of Compliance (with the NCAA).’

The letter will also address Coach Pearl lying to NCAA investigators about a Bar-B-Que that took place at his house that recruits were illegally attending. Excessive phone calls and texts to recruits will also be addressed in the letter.

Violiations by the Tennessee football team under former coach Lane Kiffin will also be addressed in the letter.

The University is expected to hold a press conference tomorrow where Athletic Director Mike Hamilton discuss what the letter contains, as well as what it means for the school.

Tennessee Vols head football coach Derek Dooley stated tonight that he won’t release stud RB Bryce Brown from his scholarship.

Brown had asked to be released from his scholarship via text message.

Dooley laid out the criteria for why he rejected Brown’s request:

“As with the other players who have asked for a release, I went through the same process with the same criteria with Bryce,” Dooley said. “These are the three key factors – what their personal investment into the program was, did they have their heart into it and did they give it a good, fair shot. No. 2, the harm that their departure creates for the organization. No. 3, how they handle it as a professional.

Brown has been incognito from basically the world since Dooley took over the Vols football program, after replace Lane Kiffin who left the program in the middle of the night to become the head coach at Southern Cal.

Sources in Wichita had told me that Brown would likely transfer to Kansas State to play with his older brother Arthur Brown, a MLB, who played his first two seasons for the Miami Hurricanes.  Arthur has transferred to K-State.

My same source clearly stated that Bryce was high on Kiffin and his connections to the NFL.  Dooley had rubbed Brown the wrong way, but in fairness, Bryce didn’t seem to give Dooley much of a chance before moving back to Kansas after the school year.

“It’s a professional issue, and it’s not because he didn’t come see me. I used the same evaluation process that we used for the other guys, and I have an obligation to protect our organization,” Dooley added.

Dooley’s refusal to release Bryce doesn’t mean he can’t transfer to K-State. It just means that he will have to pay his own way since he will still be under scholarship to Tennessee.  Bryce would also, either way, have to sit out a year for transferring to another D-1 school.

The Tennessean is reporting that the Tennessee Titans have filed a lawsuit in Davidson County against USC Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin and USC, claiming that running backs coach Kennedy Pola breached his contract by inducement from Kiffin.

The lawsuit states “as a result of USC and Kiffin’s tortuous conduct, Tennessee (Titans) football has been damaged in an amount proven at trial.”

Pola reached an agreement over the weekend to become the offensive coordinator at Southern Cal.  The Titans hired Pola just back in January.

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who played his college football at USC, was extremely hot under the collar at Kiffin for not calling him to ask permission to talk to Pola, which is a common courtesy with these type of things.