July 28, 2004
Fulmer Fined For Skipping Media Days
The Southeastern Conference fined the University of Tennessee $10,000 after UT informed the SEC that Vols Coach Phillip Fulmer would not be attending Media Days this week in Birmingham.
Previously, officials in Knoxville had expressed concerns for Fulmer's safety at the gathering. However, Commissioner Mike Slive said "the SEC was not concerned with security issues surrounding Fulmer's attending the event, where fans traditionally stop by the hotel lobby to watch players and coaches walk by."
Fulmer said he wasn't attending because of a "legal circus that has been created by an isolated group of attorneys."
This is a reference to the lawsuit filed against the NCAA by former Alabama assistant Ronnie Cottrell that Fulmer provided information to the NCAA in exchange for special treatment for the Volunteers. As one of the linked articles says, "By not appearing in Alabama, Fulmer will avoid the threat of being subpoenaed for deposition in the case."
Fines were decided on for coaches missing the event at a league meeting in June in Florida. Lou Holtz of South Carolina missed last year's event "because of what was blamed as a weather-related problem."
Slive made several statements about the fine via the SEC release and statements to the media:
"I am disappointed that Coach Fulmer will not attend Football Media Days. Football Media Days is a very important event for the SEC and we expect each of our institutions to fully participate."
"I wish he were here. I've said it over and over again that one of the steps we're trying to take is that our competition needs to be on the field and in the courts - and I mean the hardwood courts."
Other coaches in the conference also had comments.
Tommy Tuberville of Auburn:
"Philip not coming here might have been the best for him, and it might have been the best for the SEC. He's going to have to pay the price for it."
Houston Nutt of Arkansas:
"I don't know all the details of why he's not here, but I do agree with him as far as you want everyone playing by the rules. That's the only way we're going to be able to clean up our league."
Comments:
Nate said:
posted on July 28, 2004 3:29 PM — 216.212.151.103 — link — abuse?
He didnt want to face the media, but most importantly, he didnt want the threat of a subpeona. Regardless of what Gallion says, Fulmer knows that if has to lay down a deposition, he has to tell the truth or else its perjury. Fulmers career is over, period! If he makes through the year without traveling through the state of Alabama, or next year when the schedule says that UT plays in Auburn and also in Tuscaloosa. He will get his subpeona, and after that, his career at UT should be over. I predict that this is his last year. Too many lawsuits against him on UT's back, and frankly, any UT fan will say that he is not worth it....ask Johnny Majors.
Stu said:
posted on July 28, 2004 4:33 PM — 144.160.98.31 — link — abuse?
Correction Nate - UT does not play Auburn in 2005; the Tigers rotate off the schedule.
All this legal circus Phil speaks of is mere cover. The real reason, and one I totally understand, is that Phil doesn't want to be near throngs of rage-a-holic, neanderthal Bama fans (most of whom never attended college, much less Bama). If their ilk is capable of throwing a brick through their own coach's window, what else are they capable of when their hate is directed toward the enemy?
Nate said:
posted on July 28, 2004 4:41 PM — 216.212.151.103 — link — abuse?
Stu, I am from Alabama, and that "brick" came from a college student back in 1989. Anything that happens in a football related story, will be reported by the media in the state of Alabama, not anywhere else. Thats why people repeat those stories over and over. If you are in the south, stuff like that happens quite a bit in the fall. Bama fans are not all that bad. No worse than any other SEC's schools' fans. Your hate towards Bama makes these comments fall into a limbo effect. The fans have NOTHING to do with Fulmer coming to Birmingham, NOTHING! You are indeed correct on that correction though.
Nate said:
posted on July 28, 2004 6:44 PM — 216.212.151.103 — link — abuse?
Jessi, you must be crazy to think that I am mad that UT might be a better team than UA in recent years. For one, when you think of college football, does the name Tennessee or Alabama stick out more??? C'mon, I rest THAT case! I am a huge fan of the UT/UA rivalry. I love it! Fans like me?? I am a fan of college football. I dont go to media days and heckle SEC coaches. If you are a UT fan, I am surprised that you are supporting him at all! Fulmer will not be there next year and might not make it through this fall. He has backstabbed every friend he ever made while at UT, including his own wife. Ask the great Johnny Majors his opinion on Phil Fulmer. Where in my posts did you get that assumption of me anyway? I just read my posts and I dont understand your replies. I was talking about the subpeona, and why he didnt show up. This is not terroism, for God's sake. Be a man and show your face.
posted on July 30, 2004 12:22 AM — 4.230.219.46 — link — abuse?TigerEducated said:
Tennessee fans...What is it?
Are you drinking that moonshine in the still thinking it's Fulmer-ville Kool-Aid?
Are you REALLY going to tell me that Fulmer is "squeaky clean" in Memphis? We've got a guy on OUR BOARD (www.tigerforums.com) who's a Tennessee alum who admitted the other night that, "Fulmer didn't do anything that any of the other coach's punished did."
Is this not admission of acts egregious enough to warrant the same application of the same rules and the same punishment for the Vols?
I would hope that the NCAA casts a blind eye towards who commits the infractions, as long as they cast the equal eye. At this point, alumni of your precious University are admitting guilt and even citing their "sources" on an LSU board saying that he is guilty!
How can you say that he's worried for his safety? It's smoke and mirrors, and you're appearing as if you're drinking the "still likker"...
Get over yourself, you homer!
Matt Yeager said:
posted on July 31, 2004 3:38 AM — 4.12.29.71 — link — abuse?
That's it, if you know a Tennessee fan, confiscate his car keys.
...
Tennessee was the third-best SEC team, Clemson was the third-best ACC team. Doesn't seem too humiliating for an SEC fan. The SEC is doing fine, and is still the undisputable best conference in college football. The new ACC will be lucky to take 2nd, and may be as bad as fifth.
posted on July 31, 2004 2:10 PM — 4.230.216.230 — link — abuse?
Matt, yet another weak attempt in your still brief history on this site...
Your "precious" ACC darlings Miami got punked out by an admittedly down Tennessee at home last year in the vaunted Orange Bowl.
By the amazing score of 10-6...They couldn't score a touchdown at home against a middle of the road team who lucked out in a topsy turvy Eastern Division Title battle to tie three ways for the championship of said Division.
That "middle of the road" team was also a 10 win team. Saying they were the 3rd best is a little overstating it. I'd say that Auburn or Florida could have given them both a run for their money, and of course we all know that Florida wasn't the same team after Leak found his groove later in the season compared to when they played the Vols early on.
Your precious ACC is over-rated, and the Southeastern Conference has produced teams in contention for or the outright national champion year in and year out (Witness Tennessee in '01 before WE punked them out for the SEC Championship, Georgia finishing 3rd in '02, LSU taking it all in '03).
Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and even Tennessee each won 10 games coming out of the conference which produced numerous bowl teams, multiple top 10 teams, and of course, the national champion...
Your conference will be known for Virginia Tech, who folds in the stretch, Miami, a team of overhyped thugs who can't produce in crunch time (getting punked by the same Tennessee team you run into the ground, and then getting), Florida State, who is way past its prime, recruiting players who bet on their teams, and is counting down the days to both Rix's departure and Bowden's...
Your big three drawing cards, so to speak, are built on houses of cards...They'll tumble soon enough...But enjoy your 15 minutes...The SEC will continue to beat itself black and blue week in and week out, producing national title contenders and the occassional champion, while churning out All-Americans and NFL superstars at the same time, and all around teams that can whip the ever living bejesus out of sorry conference representatives such as the ones you'd tout...
Have a nice day...
jessi said:
posted on August 7, 2004 8:47 PM — 65.137.129.242 — link — abuse?
i find myself guilty on certain things, like my loyalty to tennessee football might actually pull the blinds over my eyes on the any wrong they have done. but can you say something intelligent besides referring to tennessee as a bunch drunken hillbillies. these stereotypes really add fuel to a fire, and besides there are more places than tennessee where moonshine has been drank. for instance the midwest with all that corn, there has got to be some moonshine drinking going on out there. wait a minute whats the subject again COLLEGE FOOTBALL , let get back to that shall we. thank you.
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Pete Holiday said:
posted on July 28, 2004 11:50 AM — 68.62.114.241 — link — abuse?It's my understanding that the attorneys responsible for the suits in question agreed not to subpeona him while he was in Alabama for media days... fact of the matter is that he just didn't want to face Birmingham media.