Departing Tennessee players issue heartfelt messages to Vol Nation
The absurdity on Rocky Top continues as each day seems to bring something new and bizarre to Vol Nation.
On Wednesday, it was the predictable mass exodus of players to the NCAA transfer portal following Jeremy Pruitt’s firing in Knoxville.
While Tennessee fans were holding out hope that interim coach Kevin Steele could convince players to stay in Knoxville, linebacker Henry To’o To’o, running back Eric Gray, linebacker Quavaris Crouch and offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson all entered the transfer database.
These decisions come after starting offensive tackle Wanya Morris left Tennessee for Oklahoma, who entered the portal last week.
Entering the transfer portal does not guarantee a player won’t be returning to their original school, they still have the option of returning, but based on statements issued by some of these players, it doesn’t sound like they have plans to return to Tennessee in 2021:
Here is the statement issued by Henry To’o To’o on Wednesday evening:
https://twitter.com/HenryTootoo1/status/1352059010732711936?s=20
Here is the statement issued by Eric Gray soon after:
https://twitter.com/1ericgray/status/1352100809559969794
My brothers and I gave us your all everyday?
Enuff said…bye
Yeah, I was trying to figure that one out too. I’m sure he meant well.
If only he had completed remedial English before he opted out, darn the luck!
Uh yeah ok. Well bye.
I have never ditched my “family”…Oh and I hope the investigation reveals which players who did sign with UT and are now leaving accepted additional benefits.
You got that right…kids making hasty decisions. But if any of them were paid and took it then goodbye to you alas Patty Smythe
Y’all look at his wrong, these dudes should absolutely leave Tennessee. Go to a school where you can get national exposure with a winning school. If I go out and punish my body every single day of the year to one day land me in the NFL and I’m starting at UT I’m heading somewhere else as fast as I can. These guys will get their names called every Saturday next year at another school that can utilize their talents better than Tennessee can for the rest of their college career. No reason to restrict your future when Tennessee leadership has proven for decades now they have no clue what they’re doing. It will be a long time before they figure it out in my opinion. 8-5 will be our programs story at best for the foreseeable future. Lifetime fan here(35) season ticket holder as well.
tnin I understand why some are leaving but the touching letters just feel a little disingenuous to me. No problem. i wish them all success or limited success if they play us. No hard feelings at all. I just feel no need to praise guys who are leaving the program. They are now just another opponent.
They wanted to win for UT. UT has put them into a situation where staying may not help them (a promise made to them when they were sold on UT). Your last 3 sentences are how I feel when players left or didn’t choose Mizzou unless they weren’t going to be able to compete at Mizzou. Then some praise and good luck.
Glad someone has some sense on here. Well get some stability with the new AD they just hired today and Steele.
Fuzzy, for once we agree. Don’t write me a love letter and talk about our relationship after you have quit on me. Everyone can understand why they left, but it is not about the brotherhood when you walk out the door.
Season tickets eh? So, your contract with UT for tickets is one year, yes? So if you don’t like the product can you opt out of your tickets mid-season? Will you get a refund for the second half of your contract? How about the first half of the season, do you lose that money? After all it wasn’t what you were promised in preseason was it? If a player commits his services in exchange for a college education should he have to pay back what he was given if he breaks the commitment just because he doesn’t like the product? Last question, should the word commitment be erased from the dictionary?
Was given the option to enter the registration this year because of Covid. Chose to opt out and will do again next year as well. The players can and should do the same as well after what transpired.
I’m just glad our troops don’t transfer out every time an officer does some stupid shtttt…
The portal was implemented so players can be released from a contract (scholarship) Coaches get paid millions to go away, players and commits should have the option to do the same for their future. The university failed them as athletes and students. Let them move on just as a coach can.
The portal was implemented because of lawyers..
I’m just thankful those players at Army that didn’t cheat on their calculus exam aren’t able to decommit and move on
Good for you bud. Anyone involved with the program now should be able to leave . That’s my opinion and thousands of athletes opinions as well. Tennessee will rebuild in due time and will help the East out again someday. The new AD they hired today will bring instant credibility and bring some sort of stability with Steele in place. It has been an Absolute ish show and the sanctions that may come from this could be very costly. However it is not all doom and gloom for the foreseeable future at Rocky Top.
I sincerely hope UT comes out of this sooner rather than later, have several very good friends that are huge vol fans…great people, great state, great school…my only wish is that they would change their dmmmm school colors, there is no more awful color than Orange, period! Ok, maybe olive green but just barely…
Did it ever occur to you that these players had they’re schollies pulled because they accepted illegal money??
Did it ever occur to you that every single year this is a coach at a school in the NCAA hit with recruiting violations. But they get a pass. We live in America and you can make mistakes and be given a second chance. If they took benefits, someone was giving the benefits. Goes both ways, but Pruitt and all 9 that were fired will be given another chance to make millions of dollars in their career. Nah bro, get off your high horse. GBO
The transfer portal has over 1000 players in it. Going to be a lot of disappointed players.
UT should be able to fill the dreams of about 45 of those quitters here soon, and no one out recruits Mullet in the TP, noooo body!
Copied and pasted.
Lame vol fans bashing this kid who was a
Stud and could have gone anywhere yet chose UT. They should be thankihim for even coming. If you can look yourself in the mirror and say you would have stayed when 90% of the staff you committed to is gone, you have major sanctions over your head and your next head coach is still undetermined or only the “interim head coach” are flat lying to yourselves. Not to mention things are heading down the toilet at Rocky Flop. Quit being sour and wish this kid well and try thanking him for busting his tail every day even when you were horrible this season. He would get 0 exposure at UT this year. NONE. I’ve never heard such pathetic ungrateful fans. You deserve another 5 years of being the laughing stock of the SEC.
Correct. Hopefully that’s not the case with 5 more years of misery for us Vol fans though. It’s been a rough 20. 8-5 for a few years consecutively I can support.
Agreed-don’t bash him like ignorant UGA fans do Cade Mays. Looks pathetic, but not sure most of the UGA posters here can get any more pathetic.
I don’t get this…To’o To’o would get no exposure at UT…how so?
He has made one heck of a name for himself already and would clearly be the best player on the defensive side, he would be getting coached up by arguably one of the best DCs in all of college football in Kevin Steele, he would honor his commitment (a key component NFL teams look for) to the university he chose, and he would have an opportunity to be the unquestioned leader of his team as they take on the monumental task of rebuilding the football program. All these factors would only work to improve his stock in the NFL but instead, he’ll go to a Bama or an UGA where he will have a battle on his hands to even win a starting position, or he’ll go out west and hope the liberals even let them play 3 or 4 football games next season…that being said I do wish him well and I do hope he’s leaving not because he may have been one of those that received a McDonalds happy meal, but because he truly believes it is what is best for him and his family’s future. For what it’s worth…
Good luck
Come to Florida! You’d look great ina Gator uniform!
I’m gonna sound like the old ass man that I am here, but this is the most millennial thing in the world.
Running away when adversity hits because, after all, it’s all about them. Also, “heartfelt” messages (via social media) that again, is all about them, and are completely disingenuous.
No love lost.
Old ass man, sign me up. Agreed