Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Tennessee handed recruits cash in McDonald’s bags

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 1/19/21

Tennessee fired Jeremy Pruitt on Monday amid an investigation of recruiting violations, and you will understand why when you hear about some of the practices that allegedly took place under the former Vols head coach.

Dan Patrick said on his show Tuesday that he was told by sources familiar with the investigation that Tennessee was handing out cash to recruits in McDonald’s bags. He says he was told they got caught because they were being so “in your face” and “sloppy” about it.

Source: Tennessee #Vols got sloppy with recruiting. They were handing recruits cash in McDonald's bags when they visited campus.

Also a name to look out for to fill the Head Coaching vacancy: Jason Witten pic.twitter.com/HKDd02rldz

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) January 19, 2021

“They put money into McDonald’s bags and they gave them to the recruits when they came on campus,” Patrick said. “The campus visits were not organized, but they were handing out cash — I don’t know if it was through the drive through — so you literally had bag men. They put the cash in McDonald’s bags and handed it to the recruits."

Patrick added that he was also told Georgia got “sloppy” with its recruiting practices, though it’s unclear if the NCAA is planning to investigate the Bulldogs.

That certainly helps explain why Pruitt was fired for cause. Tennessee hired a legal team to conduct an internal investigation, and chancellor Donde Plowman said Monday that it is “stunning” how deep the issues run.

If Patrick’s information is accurate, the investigation is going to lead to major violations for Tennessee. Vols fans may already have a preferred Pruitt replacement in mind, but the situation at Tennessee could get ugly in the near future.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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