Tennessee has another potential NCAA violation to deal with, it appears. According to Pat Forde (of course it was Pat Forde), Tennessee is under investigation for a “major” violation in regards to their handling of NIL.
Sources: Less than a year after its last infractions case concluded, Tennessee is under NCAA investigation again. The inquiry covers multiple sports and is described as “major.” https://t.co/eE5sXYk0HE
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) January 30, 2024
Others have confirmed the report.
Sources: Can confirm Sports Illustrated report that Tennessee is under NCAA investigation. The investigation is tied to Name Image and Likeness violations.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 30, 2024
At this point, nobody seems to have any details on what the investigation could focus on.
Details are scarce on what Tennessee is potentially facing in the latest case, including the number of involved sports. The school acknowledged the investigation to SI, but declined further comment, other than to say it has not received a notice of allegations from NCAA Enforcement. (Sports Illustrated)
Tennessee is coming out of the Jeremy Pruitt violations, where they committed 18 Level 1 violations. Thanks to the University’s swift action, the penalties were minimal for the new regime led by Danny White.
Tennessee, like everyone else, has been figuring NIL out on the fly. There aren’t many set parameters at this point, and the whole thing just sort of feels like the wild wild west. Tennessee made a big splash back in 2022, landing five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava for a reported $8 million NIL deal. The Volunteer Club, operated by Spyre Sports Group, is regarded as one of the best NIL collectives in the nation.
So at this point we have virtually no details, but we know Tennessee is under investigation. Updates will follow when they become available.