To say it’s been a rough week for the University of Tennessee would be a massive understatement.
The university fired athletic director John Currie on Friday, according to multiple reports. The decision comes at the end of a totally embarrassing week in which the Volunteers struggled to find a new head football coach.
The Volunteers looked poised to hire former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano, but the university backed out of that deal amid blowback from fans and boosters. What followed was an embarrassing week-long search in which seemingly every available coach turned down the job.
As the week winded down, however, the Vols appeared to have their guy. UT was linked to Washington State head coach Mike Leach, and it looked like the long nightmare was nearing its end. But …
Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman reported something similar Friday morning:
“As SI reported earlier this week,” Feldman wrote, “there is a growing faction at Tennessee pushing to get Currie removed. Former Vols head coach Phil Fulmer is said to be one of those battling with Currie and that could muck up the process to reel in Leach.”
Whether Leach still will be hired remains to be seen. Regardless, it’s a horrible look for the university, which has made the Cleveland Browns look like a functional franchise by comparison through this entire ordeal. In a fitting coincidence, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is, you guessed it, a Tennessee alum.
