The University of Tennessee confirmed on Monday that it will not be hiring Greg Schiano as its next head football coach, and athletic director John Currie all but admitted that fans, politicians and analysts vetoed the move.
In a statement, Currie revealed that Tennessee “carefully interviewed and vetted” Schiano, a process that included looking into his involvement in the 2012 investigation at Penn State. Currie praised Schiano for the work he has done for college football and wished him well in his next venture.
John Currie releases a statement, claims Tennessee "carefully vetted" Greg Schiano: pic.twitter.com/sF0knywolV
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 27, 2017
Currie’s insistence that Tennessee vetted Schiano and was confident he had no knowledge of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse at Penn State essentially confirms that the Vols pulled their offer from Schiano because of fan backlash. A deal was in place as of Sunday, but things suddenly fell through after protests were held outside Neyland Stadium and countless people expressed outrage over Tennessee hiring a coach with connections to the Penn State scandal.
While it’s unclear if Currie’s job is in danger, there has to be some fallout. The fact that Tennessee hired a coach and then backed out shows, at the very least, that school officials are out of touch with their fan base. They should have seen the reaction coming.
The situation with Schiano and Tennessee has the potential to get even uglier, as one report indicated the Ohio State defensive coordinator could be seeking compensation for the way everything was handled.
