Former head football coach Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt, filed a lawsuit Wednesday, knocking on the NCAA, claiming that wages totaled $100 million.
He also filed allegations that the entity “conspired with Tennessee” to position him as a “sacrificed lamb” after he began an investigation into inappropriate payments that left him without his job. (Related: Stanford Football fires Troy Taylor’s head coach after allegedly bullying a female staff member)
The lawsuit, filed in DeCalb County, Alabama, alleges that the University of Tennessee paid student-athletes before being hired as a volunteer head coach. He also argues that the reason he was fired is now considered legal by the NCAA.
Pruitt speaks to athletic director Philip Fulmer in the lawsuit, claiming that Fulmer took care of the situation and informed him that the players were already paid. Around Out kickPruitt claims that after being handed a “cause of the show” penalty in the lawsuit, the NCAA and Tennessee have come up with an agreement that allows the university to pay the fine as much as the amount Pruitt owe his retirement benefits.
Former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt sued the NCAA in DeCalb County, Alabama, claiming that the association “conspired with Tennessee” to make him a “sacrificed lamb” for rules that led to six years of show factor.
He claims $100 million in wage losses. pic.twitter.com/h0b69vvak5
– Rossdellenger (@rossdellenger) March 27, 2025
“Less than a week after being hired, Pruitt discovered that payments were being made to some players. At the time, the NCAA rules ruled out these payments, even though they had already called on serious questions about whether such payments were prohibited,” the complaint reads.
