The NCAA is launching an investigation into multiple Tennessee Volunteers’ sports programs for NIL violation, according to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.
The news of this violation comes less than a year after their last case closed. The previous case was centered around former coach Jeremy Pruitt. For which, the program was fined $8 million. With the new investigation, the Volunteers are at risk of being repeat offenders.
There has been no comment from Tennessee officials, but as Forde states the NCAA also has not given the sports programs any official notice of allegations.
Since the creation of NIL, the NCAA has been trying to get a firm handle on it. To date, they have been unsuccessful in the attempt of doing so. Some school administrators have suggested the need for guardrails and parameters, but none have been created.
According to ESPN, the new investigation into Tennessee includes the potential for the enforcement staff to charge multiple Level 1 and Level 2 violations. The case revolves around activity related to the Spyre Collective, which is Tennessee’s primary NIL collective.
The new case has initially been tied to football, but Spyre Collective also handles the NIL for other sports as well. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the Volunteers are pushing back allegations.
Over the last year, issues with NIL have ramped up due to the Transfer Portal. Over the summer, we saw Tennessee fined. According to Blue Bloods Bias, the Oregon Ducks were accused of tampering earlier this month. They also stated that the investigation into Tennessee could be over the recruitment of QB Nico Iamaleava. It’s against the NIL rules to sign a high school prospect to NIL money, which Blue Bloods Bias states both Florida and Tennessee have done.
Although, for an entirely different reason. The NCAA also launched an investigation into Michigan this last season. Suspending Jim Harbaugh for several games and more punishments may be on the horizon. It’s clear that the NCAA is not messing around. They want to get a handle on all rule violations.
A Fantom Sports source had nothing to add on the investigation of the Volunteers at this time.
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