Tennessee AD Danny White apologizes for ‘unacceptable’ experience entering Neyland Stadium for Georgia game
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Tennessee athletic director Danny White posted an apology to X on Sunday after fans experienced issues getting into Neyland Stadium for Saturday’s game against Georgia.
Neyland Stadium has introduced an expanded south concourse for 2025, along with a new plaza in front of Gate 9. While it was presumably supposed to prevent problems entering the venue, it sounds like that wasn’t the case on Saturday.
“Our plan was obviously not effective,” White wrote. “It wasn’t for lack of effort (as) our staff and campus partners have been working hard on this all offseason. It is proven to be difficult to predict traffic flow with new gates given our tight footprint. That’s not an excuse (and) we missed the mark. That’s on me. I want you all to know that we are immediately looking at adjustments to our plan.”
White also wrote that the athletic department would “communicate … (the) best path into the stadium” based on where fans are sitting, in order to keep Saturday’s events from repeating.
“Thank you to those that have made me aware of the situation on this platform. I did see it myself at Gate 20,” he said. “It gutted me to see our loyal fans so frustrated. I’m very sorry. We will fix it.”
Vols fans were at least treated to an entertaining game before it ultimately ended in a 44-41 overtime loss. They host UAB on Sept. 20.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
