Jeremy Pruitt made the right choice in dismissing a role player, but will he always make that choice?
By Dave Hooker
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Jeremy Pruitt just passed his first public test as a head coach. Albeit, it wasn’t a difficult test, but Tennessee’s coach managed his way out of a rather uncomfortable situation when he swiftly dismissed Ryan Thaxton.
There was little reason to give Thaxton a second chance. The backup linebacker didn’t play last season and was scheduled to be pretty far down the depth chart in 2018, which would be his redshirt freshman season. Why take a chance for a player who was charged with domestic assault and might not be a factor on the field?
Thaxton was accused of pushing his girlfriend toward his room, carrying her inside the dorm room not allowing her to leave. That resulted in charges of domestic assault and false imprisonment. Not good — especially in a society that finally is sensitive to such issues, which should always be the case.
Pruitt has a much tougher test on the horizon. Will he have the same reaction if a player that is a contributor or even a starter finds himself afoul of the law? He should, especially early in his career.
The chances are pretty slim that there will be many players on this Vols roster who help their team to a championship run. There should be a few that are contributors in three or four years when the Vols might be ready to contend for the SEC East or more, but there won’t be many. As a whole, the roster is down in talent, doesn’t fit Pruitt’s style on offense or defense and figures to undergo some more expected turnover as is the case with any coaching change.
If you’re a Tennessee football player reading this, that means there are no untouchable players. Pruitt’s reaction to the Thaxton allegations should be a strong indication that he’s not going to tolerate alleged felonious behavior. Pruitt can set the tone now for the remainder of his tenure at Tennessee because he has nothing to lose. UT fans are realistic enough to know that they’re not going to be in a championship hunt this season and perhaps not for the next two seasons. Pruitt has nothing to lose by jettisoning a player who can’t stay out of trouble. This is Pruitt’s honeymoon period.
Nick Saban was willing to do the same at Alabama when he dismissed Jimmy Johns after the former linebacker was charged with six drug crimes, including distribution of cocaine, in the summer of 2008. Saban didn’t flinch. He didn’t wait for the court system to play out. He dismissed Johns the same way Pruitt dismissed Thaxton. However, Saban’s decision was much more difficult. Most expected Johns to be a big-time player.
You probably don’t remember what happened later that season when you think of Saban’s tenure at Alabama. Here’s a refresher. Bama reached the SEC title game. You probably remember what Saban has done since at Alabama. How about five national titles?
But it’s not always so simple. Saban was criticized for not taking a harsher stance against Da’Shawn Hand or Cam Robinson, two stars who also were arrested.
If Pruitt is to even approach Saban’s on-field success, he’ll need discipline among his players on and off the field. The most disciplined teams are usually the best. That’s why this latest decision to dismiss Thaxton was the absolute correct one.
As a first-time head coach, Pruitt will have many more challenges. He’ll make plenty of mistakes, but in this case he had the perfect response. He also lived up to his word.
“We all are very aware of what went on, and obviously we suspended the guy. We’re not going to condone it. We’re not going to tolerate it,” Pruitt told the Knoxville News Sentinel at SEC Media Days.
Pruitt foreshadowed Thaxton’s dismissal last week. Something tells me that Pruitt knew Thaxton’s fate while he was in Atlanta on Wednesday. Pruitt acted swiftly and strongly. That can only help build the foundation of the Vols moving forward.
Dave Hooker started covering Tennessee in 1998. He hosts an SEC radio show out of Chattanooga and covers the SEC for Saturday Down South.
