Tennessee athletic director John Currie has finally broken his silence on Volunteers head football coach Butch Jones, according to a report from David Cobb of Chattanooga’s Times Free Press.

Vols fans have been pleading with Currie to at least say something about Jones’ job status and the state of the UT football program.

Currie did just that on Monday night during a radio appearance on the “Big Orange Hotline,” according to the report.

He said that he believes supporting the coaching staff and supporting the players as they get ready for the Southern Miss game on Saturday is the best thing he can do for the football program right now.

“I know folks are frustrated with the won-loss record. I am, too. Coach Jones is. We all are. I believe right now the most important thing to do is support our players,” Currie said.

“My thoughts were the same as everyone else in Vol Nation, including coach Jones, and it was disappointing,” Currie added in regards to the 29-26 loss to Kentucky on Saturday. “Our players played so hard, though, for the whole game and never let up.

Currie and Jones have built “a really strong relationship” and have worked to be supportive of each other, the report said.

Currie added that he did meet with Jones on Sunday, but noted that’s pretty standard practice for him when it comes to his history as an AD. He usually tries to visit the athletic complex on Sundays. Currie continued to emphasize his commitment to support Tennessee’s coaches, staff and student-athletes, but did admit the future is on his mind.

“At the same time, you’ve got to make sure too that you’ve thought about long-term,” he said. “We’re working on improvements to Neyland Stadium and are excited about getting ready to break ground on a golf practice facility. A lot of things are going on.”

Currie ended by referencing “the surgeon’s creed.”

“There’s no problem you can’t make worse by operating,” he said.