Alabama, Florida ADs weigh in on the firing of Tennessee AD John Currie
The Tennessee coaching search (which is still going on as of Wednesday evening) has been one for the ages.
As it dragged on and an attempted hire of Greg Schiano outraged the fan base, the botched search cost AD John Currie his job. Now, former coach Phillip Fulmer is the Vols’ AD and is running the search, though no hire has been made since he took over.
Speaking during a panel with other athletic directors in New York City on Wednesday, Florida AD Scott Stricklin expressed his dismay about what happened to Currie, saying Currie is very well-respected among other ADs:
Scott Stricklin: “What happened to John is beyond unfortunate. It’s a tragedy. I don’t know if there’s anyone as well respected among his peers as John Currie.”
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 6, 2017
Alabama AD Greg Byrne also weighed in, calling Currie “one of the smartest guys” in the AD business:
Greg Byrne: “I don’t know all the details of what happened at Tennessee but John is one of the smartest guys in our industry. It looked like the rope was getting pulled in several different directions.”
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 6, 2017
It’s worth noting that both Stricklin and Byrne are friends with Currie, so of course they have biased opinions, but it was an unfortunate situation for Currie on Rocky Top.
The Tennessee coaching search continues for now, but Currie is out and is now looking for a new job, much to the dismay of his friends and former colleagues.