Why Josh Heupel and Tennessee Vols shouldn't sweat this NCAA investigation
Maybe this is the NCAA’s way of doing Tennessee a favor.
UT officials have decried the NCAA’s latest investigation into the Tennessee Vols, but if you think about it, the Vols can use this to their advantage.
Tennessee’s response to this investigation can be loosely summarized as: Rules? What rules? Let’s make some deals.
Sounds like a start to a recruiting pitch.
On this edition of “The Volunteer State,” Blake Toppmeyer of the USA TODAY Network and the News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks and John Adams offer the latest on Tennessee vs. NCAA after Tuesday’s court hearing that occurred as part of the state’s lawsuit against the NCAA.
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A quick review of this two-part song and dance:
1. The NCAA is investigating the Vols for possible violations of their meager guidelines that prohibit NIL deals being used as recruiting inducements.
2. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is pursuing in court a temporary injunction that would freeze the NCAA’s NIL rules, while suing the NCAA and alleging that its NIL rules run afoul of federal antitrust law.
ADAMS: Why NCAA investigation of Tennessee football won't damage recruiting
SPARKS: Vols fans turn out to support Tennessee ... in court
Should the Vols be sweating anything at this point? Not really, as far as we can tell.
Here’s why:
1. The NCAA is sniffing around UT’s lawn again. So what? Consider it free advertising. Used to be, NCAA investigations could become a stumbling block for a recruiting. Now, think of it as a marketing opportunity: Come to Tennessee, where the NCAA’s flimsy rules don’t matter, and the state government and university officials have your back.
2. The NCAA investigation and lawsuit are separate entities, but the latter affects the former, and Tennessee gets two bites at the apple. If Skrmetti wins the temporary injunction, that’s a win for Tennessee. Even if a judge doesn’t grant a temporary injunction, Tennessee could win the overarching lawsuit. If Tennessee wins either an injunction or the lawsuit, that will neuter the NCAA's investigation.
3. Judge Clifton Corker already has hinted at an appreciation for the merits of Tennessee’s argument in the lawsuit.
4. UT has retained a high-powered attorney to represent it in the NCAA investigation.
5. NCAA has dialed back postseason bans as penalties the past few years as part of its new, weaker era of rules enforcement.
6. If the NCAA tries to ban Tennessee from the postseason or levy significant eligibility penalties against Vols athletes, it can expect to be hit with another lawsuit.
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist and a published author. John Adams is the News Sentinel's senior columnist and a two-time published author. Adam Sparks covers the Vols with award-winning coverage for the News Sentinel. You can subscribe to read all their coverage, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. They also host the acclaimed "SEC Football Unfiltered" podcast.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Josh Heupel and Tennessee shouldn't sweat this NCAA investigation