Jeremy Pruitt releases statement following retirement of Tennessee 2019 signee Melvin McBride
Tennessee’s misfortune on the offensive line continued this week as recent signee Melvin McBride announced he would be forced to retire due to “health problems” on Wednesday. The Volunteers just confirmed the unfortunate news later in the afternoon.
The 6-foot-3, 312-pound McBride was rated as a three-star prospect in the team’s most recent signing class and was expected to compete on the interior of the offensive line this fall on Rocky Top. The 6-foot-3, 312-pound Memphis native signed with Tennessee out of Whitehaven High School.
Following the news, Tennessee released a statement from Jeremy Pruitt:
“Melvin is a great young man, and my heart breaks for him and his family. However, I’m glad that we have an outstanding medical staff that did a great job identifying the problem when Melvin first arrived here. We are always going to do what’s best for our student-athletes here at Tennessee. He is certainly a Vol for Life and will continue to be a big part of our program.”
Unfortunately, McBride is the latest in a growing list of Tennessee offensive linemen forced to call it a career early. In recent seasons, Jack Jones, Chance Hall, Devante Brooks, Eric Crosby and Tanner Antonutti have all had their careers ended prematurely. When you add Trey Smith to the list, although Pruitt did offer up an encouraging note on Smith recently, it’s easy to see why the Vols have struggled so much at the position in recent seasons.
Depth on the line of scrimmage is critical to a team’s success in the SEC and has to be among the top priorities for Pruitt’s Tennessee program moving forward.
You hate to see that, especially in a young man who never really had a chance to live his dream.
But, honest question… how can you retire when you’ve never been paid? This isn’t the NFL, it’s not a job, presumably he’s never been paid to play football. He isn’t retiring.
You are such a putz
Not the appropriate reaction, though understandable from a hillbilly who chooses to wear the ugliest shade of the ugliest color ever.
I was making a comment about the myth of AMATEURISM.
If they’re unpaid amateurs, how can they retire? It’s not a job. Or so we’re told,
You should read the definition of retire. I suspect you will learn something, like how wrong you are here.
He’s got nothing in his life. It’s evident from the amount of trolling he does and how he bashes athletes for medical problems. All he’s got is the reactions he gets, which I presume temporarily alleviate his recognition of his station in life, or lack thereof.
Only UGA fans could troll a young adult for a disease they can’t control. Glad our fan base isn’t like yours.
Are you people obtuse or just as illiterate as the stereotype says you are. In what way am I trolling??? I literally said you hate to see that. I feel sorry for the kid. For you dumb hillbillies, not so much.
Keep proving my point
Maybe you can go to an Iowa game and continue your critique of semantics used by sick young people. If you provide your name and address, we can crowdfund you the psychiatric help you need.
You strike me as an unpleasant person.
Unpleasant would one word you could use. There are others.
Reaaaally? Tennessee? The fanbase that willfully supported a head coach that protected and nurtured serial rapists on his team for 5 or 6 straight years so long as he was winning them football games? 56 known rapists on the UT football team that Coach Butch Jones protected from prosecution, and the fanbase supported him in that goal 100% so long as they were winning football games. He even lied about it on national television when he was caught red handed ORDERING 2 of his felons to commit felony battery and break the jaw of one of their fellow players who tried to report a rape his friend, but the Tennessee fans all in all supported him. And why? Because he was winning them football games. Not until he went 0-8 in the SEC did they finally turn their back on him, and here you stand there and try to look down your nose on others?????? God’s got a big surprise coming for you my friend on the day of judgement.
You Tennessee clowns really truly honestly DESERVE to have a scumbag loser like Pruitt. I thought Butch Jones was pathetic as he was worse than Derek Dooley, but leave it up to Tennessee to find someone actually WORSE at the job of head football coach. Have you idiots even taught Mr. Potatoehead his right from his left yet because he actually didn’t know the difference during the 2018 year. Read that in sports illustrated and ESPN, and you doofuses actually made this clown off of the sidewalk your head coach. And you wonder why god hates you so much and you are the laughing stock of the conference.
Wow-you’ve really convinced me that you speak on behalf of God in that vitriolic rant. Remember that greatest commandment: love thy neighbor as thyself?
Pruitts statement is one more reason why I still respect him so much. It’s a sad moment for the young man. But, I suspect Pruitt and UT will help build him up in the way he should go. His life will still be better for it.
Can’t believe posters would ridicule this