Bruce Pearl Speaks On Arrests And Suspensions

Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press -- an excellent source for Tennessee athletics news -- interviewed Volunteers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl about the arrest of four players on misdemeanor drug and weapons charges after the team’s practice Saturday afternoon.

Pearl says it’s possible that one or more of the players return for the game against Charlotte Wednesday.

“I don’t know. A lot’s going to depend on the outcome. They’re suspended, but to speculate any further, I would say it’s likely that all or some won’t play in that game. But I just don’t know right now. I don’t have enough details.”

Later in the interview, Pearl makes it clear that the players could still be removed from the program after the investigation is complete.

“Dismissing players is a possibility. A lot of it’s not just going to depend on this particular outcome; a lot of it’s going to depend on the history of the student-athlete, as it relates to his conduct over a period of the last two, three or four years. We’ll be fair. We’ll be firm. We’re not going to underreact, and we’re not going to overreact. The people here at the University of Tennessee and the people of the state of Tennessee have given me this basketball program. Let me run it, and I’ll make the right decisions to the very best of my ability.”

I recommend that you read the entire interview as Rucker asked about the state of the team, recruiting and the mysterious rental car the players were driving.