Story By Heath Hambrick

Former Tennessee Football Coach Jeremy Pruitt filed a lawsuit with the DeKalb County circuit clerks office on Wednesday, claiming that the University of Tennessee, then athletic director Phillip Fulmer and the NCAA conspired to make him the “sacrificial lamb” of the recruiting investigation of the Tennessee volunteer football program in 2020.

In the lawsuit that was filed on Wednesday, it purports that the governing body of college sports (NCAA) worked with Tennessee to make him a “sacrificial lamb’ for the conduct that preceded his three seasons as the Head Football Coach in Knoxville. Following the 2020 season Pruitt and several members of his staff were fired after an internal investigation into recruiting violations.

Because Pruitt was fired “for cause”, Tennessee did not pay him his buyout or any other incentives that were in his contract. Pruitt claims in the lawsuit that he lost out on wages and any future wages that total $100 million as a result of the baised investigation to serve the financial interests of the NCAA and the University of Tennessee.

In 2023 the NCAA issued Pruitt with a six-year show-cause order, which means that if he was to take a coaching position during that time he would be suspended for a full year. In 2021 Pruitt was on the staff of the New York Giants and today is an assistant at Plainview High School.

Other aspects of the lawsuit are that the NCAA didn’t allow due process for Pruitt and its outcome was predetermined to allow the university of Tennessee to avoid them having to pay him millions due to early termination. Also, the lawsuit claims that the NCAA willingly limited the scope of the investigation to avoid examining any violations prior to Pruitt’s arrival in Knoxville.

Finally the lawsuit claims that Pruitt was being punished by the NCAA for violating rules that were invalidated by the 2021 ruling from the Supreme Court that allowed athletes to profit from name, image and likeness.

In the initial filing the attorneys wrote that “Jermey Pruitt may be the last coach in America to be punished for impermissible player benefits.”

In December 2017, Pruitt was hired as Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Less than one week on the job, he discovered that players were receiving cash payments and at the time this was not allowed under NCAA rules. Coach Pruitt immediately reported it to then Tennessee Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer who told Pruitt that “he would handle it” and deal with the University compliance department.

After he was terminated from Tennessee, Coach Pruitt leaned that one or more University of Tennessee employees in the athletic department or boosters had engaged in making payments to players at a time when was not allowed under NCAA rules. Pruitt was unaware of this activity during his time in Knoxville and it is believed that university officials intentionally hid this from Coach Pruitt based on his willingness to report violations, like he did to Fulmer his first week on the job.

At this time the Times-Journal is unable to reach Coach Jeremy Pruitt for comment at this time.