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!

ESPN’s Andy Katz is reporting that the NCAA will announce on Wednesday that former Tennessee Vols men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl will be handed a 3-year ‘Show Cause’ ban for NCAA violations that took place while Pearl was at the University.

A show-cause penalty means a school wanting to hire a coach serving that penalty must appear before the NCAA committee on infractions to explain why it wants to do so.

If the school chooses to go ahead with the hire, it would have to agree to any possible additional penalties the committee might want to levy.

Traditionally, schools have stayed away from a coach on a show-cause penalty. But the NCAA has no jurisdiction to force a member school to hire or fire a coach.

Pearl’s former assistant coaches at UT Tony Jones, Jason Shay, and Steve Forbes will each receive 1-year show-cause bans.

Back in February the NCAA hit Pearl with’Unethical Conduct’ and ‘Failure to Promote an Atmosphere of Compliance.’

Pearl is still weighing his options as to what he will do next. He is weighing an offer to coach the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends.

My Prediction from Sep. 2010 On What Would Happen to Bruce Pearl

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.

Renaldo “Swiperboy” Woolridge with another of his Eric Berry for Heisman Trophy rap videos.

Sadly, Woolridge is a better rapper than basketball player for the Vols. His lyrics are a bit uninspired but he is an above average rapper.

“Eric Berry…yo he’s scary!”

Berry, a junior for the Tennessee Vols, will likely be one of the finalist for the Heisman Trophy this fall.

A website EricBerryforHeisman.com has also been set up to help further the Berry’s chances at the prestigious award.