University of Tennessee athletics is under an NCAA investigation into potential rules violations involving name, image and likeness benefits for athletes in multiple sports, including football, a source familiar with the situation told Knox News on Tuesday.

UT confirmed the existence of the investigation, which was first reported by Sports Illustrated. But UT did not comment beyond that acknowledgment.

Additional rules violations would put UT in a precarious position because the NCAA handed down a ruling on 18 highest-level violations in July, which were committed under fired football coach Jeremy Pruitt from 2018 to 2021.

A source with direct knowledge of the ongoing investigation told Knox News that UT feels “very strongly that it followed all NCAA guidance related to NIL.”

No specific athletes have surfaced in the investigation. And there's no indication of when violations are alleged to have occurred.

The NCAA first allowed athletes to receive NIL benefits on July 1, 2021. The policy decision and effective date were announced hours before laws or executive orders in more than a dozen states that have the same impact were set to take effect.

Since then, NCAA policies and state laws related to NIL have changed constantly, making enforcement a challenge.

In May 2022, the NCAA reinforced to member schools that using NIL benefits as recruiting inducements violated its rules. At the time, the NCAA amended its policy with plans to retroactively investigate "improper behavior" and NIL collectives involved in recruiting players over the previous 10 months.

In October 2022, the NCAA clarified its rules on the role that schools can play in NIL. It said that school personnel, including coaches, can assist an NIL entity with fundraising through appearances or by providing autographed memorabilia but cannot donate cash directly to those entities. School staff members also cannot be employed by or have an ownership stake in an NIL entity.

But that NCAA ruling came after Tennessee and other states passed laws permitting universities to have direct and public relationships with the collectives that pay their athletes for their NIL. Once again, the NCAA legislation followed behind state laws and not the other way around.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football under NCAA investigation involving NIL for athletes