John Adams of the Knoxville News takes him to task:
Read the rest here. The part about Colquitt, one of those "Kickin' Colquitts" that commentators love to talk about every time the Hunter's Orange hits the field in those hideous popsicle unis, is just classic Phil.I reached the same conclusion Sunday night for a different reason. It’s not just about the won-loss record. It’s about the arrest record.
More significantly, it’s about how Fulmer has responded to the arrests of his players.
In the last six weeks, eight UT players have either been arrested or disciplined for breaking team rules. The most recent crime involved punter Britton Colquitt, who allegedly hit a parked car while driving under the influence. To make matters worse, police also say he left the scene of the accident.
Fulmer’s response was swift and soft. He suspended Colquitt for the first five games of the 2008 season.
Keep in mind this wasn’t Colquitt’s first brush with the law. Or second. Or third.
How could Fulmer not dismiss Colquitt from the team after what could be fifth alcohol-related offense?
Answer: Colquitt is a starter.
Not even Lionel Richie would go past three, as in you're once, twice, three times a lady:
But FIVE! Dude ran into a parked car, snookered! Well, this is not an isolated incident. For the months of January and February. There must be something in the water up in the Smokies.
Vols' legal woes in 2008
JANUARY
11 - Knoxville police cited freshmen wide receivers Gerald Jones and Ahmad Paige for possession of marijuana following a traffic stop near campus while the two hosted a recruit from Oklahoma on his official visit. Freshman offensive lineman William Brimfield who was with Paige and Jones at the time was not charged by police, but was disciplined by Fulmer nonetheless.
21 - UT police arrested freshman tailback Daryl Vereen for public intoxication and underage consumption after responding to a call of a fight in progress outside Gibbs Hall, an on-campus residence hall located across the street from the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center.
26 - Knoxville police arrested junior All-SEC lineman Anthony Parker for disorderly conduct at an off-campus apartment complex.
FEBRUARY
2 - walk-on defensive back Vince Faison was arrested for DUI after UT police found the 27-year-old former professional baseball player passed out behind the wheel of his truck in the parking lot of an on-campus fast-food restaurant with the engine running and his foot on the brake pedal with the vehicle in gear.
13 - Fulmer dismissed sophomores Dorian Davis and Antonio Wardlow for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Both players had been arrested within the last 18 months.
17 - Knoxville police arrested Colquitt for DUI and leaving the scene of an accident, after the punter struck a parked car near the Old City, causing more than $400 in damages.
Our internal discipline is based on one factor alone: the course that is most likely to help that individual young man make amends and get his life straight. I've undoubtedly made some mistakes, but I try to do what I think is in the best interest for each young man.What internal discipline? You've got guys getting arrested left and right. Apparently, they're not afraid of the wrath of Fulmer or of 6 a.m. team runs through the unpaved cow paths of Knoxville. The comments below both columns show why the Vols are probably never going to get rid of Fulmer, as most of the fans have thrown their support behind their beleaguered coach. No matter how many of his players get arrested.
Oh, how about this gem from Phil?
Mr. Adams has never sat next to me in a prospect's living room, looking his mother or grandmother in the eyes and promising to treat the young man like he was my own child - giving him tough love when necessary and an opportunity to straighten up when that's in order. It is a promise I take seriously and will never abandon to please any columnist.Tough love? Just know this, Tennessee parents: if your child is a starter, he'll get second chances, third chances, fourth chances, fifth chances (the case of Colquitt comes to mind) and as John Mayer says, "chances in the double-digits." If he's a benchwarmer, he's GONE. It's a complete double standard. I'm not saying that Phil is the only coach who exercises a double standard (even Saban could be accused of that at times), but he is the most obvious and egregious offender.
And these past two months where Vol football players filled up the arrest docket are not an isolated storm of troubles. The worst was the case of former defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, who nearly killed a Tennessee student over, get this, A PICKUP BASKETBALL GAME. You can still see the video here.
UT coach Phillip Fulmer suspended McDaniel for the first two games and said the second-team defensive tackle will also be forced to complete community service, attend anger management counseling and abide by a curfew for the fall semester.McDaniel nearly killed a man and was SUSPENDED FOR TWO GAMES! TWO GAMES! That's what Phil thought he deserved, I guess. Well, McDaniel was sued and had to settle out of court for what likely is a tidy sum.
Doctors inserted a metal plate to repair Goodrich’s cheekbone, one of four bones fractured on the right side of his face. Two eye socket bones and a sinus cavity were also broken.
Goodrich said that doctors told him that if the punch had landed four inches higher, closer to his temple, he could have suffered brain damage, been blinded, or even killed.
And yet most of the comments you read below both columns are pro-Fulmer? In case you haven't checked, since UcheaT's national title, they are no longer the big dog in the SEC or even in their own division for that matter. They haven't won an SEC title and even their domination of Alabama is coming to an end. I think their off-the-field issues are the main reason Tennessee is on the wane.
Phil, there's more where that came from.
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