Cuffs click, cell doors slam shut and Fulmer skates by.

[SacFalcFan]

www.sportsline.com/columns/story/10666687/1

By Mike Freeman

CBSSports.com National Columnist

So let me get this straight. The NCAA is the catalyst behind the firing of Indiana's Kelvin Sampson for making too many phone calls but does little to stop the felony-riddled reign of Phil "Chancellor Palpatine" Fulmer, who heads a Tennessee football program that has become perhaps the rottenest, most dastardly ever.

That sound you hear are the dots connecting. Bear with me for a second.

Sampson deserved to be fired. He broke the rules not once but several times. We all make mistakes but Sampson failed to take advantage of a golden second chance. Not only that, Sampson was arrogant. It was like he was saying to the administration: screw you. I'll give my recruit a ringy-dingy whenever I **** well please.

So good riddance.

Sampson might have been a chronic rules breaker, but what Fulmer is overseeing in Knoxville is almost an historic abomination. Tennessee players are running amok with the kind of scrofulous ruthlessness not seen in years.

And the players aren't committing just low-level misdemeanors. It's bad stuff. Stuff that makes Tennessee a recruiting ground for the Tony Soprano crime family.

"I like your style, Phil," says Barry Switzer.

Thus the dots connect here. It's appropriate that the NCAA enforces its rules as it did in the Sampson case. It's not so great when such a massive, powerful organization is sterile and helpless as numerous Tennessee players rack up billable hours for defense attorneys.

Severely punishing programs whose players constantly break the law should also be under the NCAA's watch and mandate. Why not? The NFL can enact tougher personal conduct policies for its players, why can't college football?

If the NCAA can spend exuberant resources ferreting out the great injustice that is the extra text message, it can certainly spend a little more time getting control of places like Tennessee.

What the NCAA needs is a strong commissioner who can bully Fulmer and fellow soft disciplinarians into not just complying with subsections and bylaws but force their players into complying with standards of decency.

It was the threat of NCAA sanctions that led Indiana to send Sampson packing. The reason Tennessee administrators have done nothing to Chancellor Palpatine Fulmer despite numerous and egregious crimes committed by Volunteers -- besides the fact he wins a lot of games -- is because Tennessee knows there is little the NCAA can do to make Fulmer and coaches like him pay a steep price for the scabrous acts of their players.

The Knoxville News Sentinel has chronicled the lifestyles of the athletic and felonious in Knoxville. What's occurring there is chilling. Keep in mind these incidents are just from the past several months.

On Jan 11, 2008: Police cite freshman wide receivers Gerald Jones and Ahmad Paige for possession of marijuana following a traffic stop near campus while the two hosted a recruit from Oklahoma on his official visit, the newspaper reported. Freshman offensive lineman William Brimfield, who was with Paige and Jones at the time, was not charged by police but was disciplined by Fulmer.

On Jan. 21: Campus police arrest freshman tailback Daryl Vereen for public intoxication and underage consumption after responding to a call of a fight in progress outside an on-campus residence hall.

On Jan. 26: Police arrest All-SEC lineman Anthony Parker for disorderly conduct at an off-campus apartment complex, the paper says.

Public intoxication, drunkenness, and fights seem to be a main theme when it comes to rules breakers in the Tennessee program. If only the Volunteers had that kind of fight in them when they played Florida.

Feb. 2: A walk-on defensive back, Vince Faison, was arrested for DUI after police found Faison passed out behind the wheel of his truck in the parking lot of an on-campus fast-food restaurant with the engine running, the paper wrote, and his foot on the brake pedal with the vehicle in gear.

Well, ****, who hasn't passed out after gorging on too many burgers and fries?

So judgmental, you people.

Feb. 13: Fulmer dismisses two players, the paper reports, for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Both players were arrested within the past 18 months.

I can't imagine what it takes for Fulmer to toss someone off the team. A meeting with the Taliban? Eating someone's liver with fava beans?

Feb. 17: Police arrest the Vols' punter for DUI and leaving the scene of an accident after he allegedly struck a parked car causing more than $400 in damage.

The punter allegedly bolted from the accident. Who says punters aren't real athletes?

Probably ran so fast the police put out an APB for Deion Sanders.

The punter's case is an interesting one. It wasn't the first time he found himself in trouble, or even the second. Or the third. This could be his fifth alcohol-related offense, according to the Knoxville paper. That's where you just wonder what the **** Fulmer is thinking.

The motto of the Tennessee football program: If the players commit, Fulmer will acquit.

Again, the transgressions listed are all solely from this year. Fulmer's track record in this area is extensive. He leaves a trail of player arrests, DUIs and serious crimes in his ample wake yet suffers no significant penalty for running the 21st-century version of The Mean Machine.

And the NCAA sits on its hands and monitors telephone calls.

It's ironic that Fulmer would be in greater trouble with the NCAA if he made illegal contact with a recruit than when one of his players allegedly hits a car and runs from the crime like a gutless #####.

Many SEC schools -- no, check that, all of them -- have players who get in serious trouble with the law. It's tradition in that neck of the woods, like voter fraud.

One of the team captains for the Alabama football team, Rashad Johnson, was arrested Saturday for disorderly conduct. Johnson is the second Alabama player arrested in a week and the eighth to be charged since last summer.

Those are not the kind of statistics a team likes to keep, yet what Fulmer is doing takes crime and lack of punishment to a whole new level. Tennessee is the Microsoft of runaway programs.

Where are the Tennessee professors and administrators? Why aren't they raising bloody **** over what's happening at their school?

Most of all, where is the NCAA?

[Ton80Kid]

That's comical...especially considering this is the same columnist who lost his job writing for the Indiannapolis Star because he lied on his resume about being a college graduate, and then got caught in that lie... and then had the audacity to take repeated shots at Urban Meyer, calling him Urban Liar... :P

I'll be the first person to stand up and point out Fulmer's shortcomings and how I believe that he needs to tighten down on the program, and get these kids back in line again...but the school itself isn't going to look the other way, nor will the NCAA, if it believes that the program and its coaches have lost institutional control...we have had more than our fair share of negative publicity, and without a doubt, most of it quite bad. However, it's far from a program wide epidemic...it's a handful of student athletes who have gotten out of line, and in most cases, they've been disciplined. I might not agree with the level of punishment they've received, but here's the kicker, I'm not the coach nor the AD...and neither is Mike Freeman...****, he's not even an honest columnist.

[stumpjumper]

I think Ton just pwned that columnist, lol

[Ton80Kid]

stumpjumper (2/26/2008)

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I think Ton just pwned that columnist, lol

Not sure if that's a good thing or not...:P

[SacFalcFan]

stumpjumper (2/26/2008)

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I think Ton just pwned that columnist, lol

LOL.. sure when you can't disprove the messenge, you shoot the messenger.. :hehe:

[Ton80Kid]

SacFalcFan (2/26/2008)

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stumpjumper (2/26/2008)

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I think Ton just pwned that columnist, lol

LOL.. sure when you can't disprove the messenge, you shoot the messenger.. :hehe:

What's to disprove?? He stated an opinion...of course, you want to revere a proven liar as a prophet...so go right ahead. Fact is, I've stated on numerous occassions that I think Fulmer needs to toughen up on the players, but at the same time, I'm not the coach or the AD of Rocky Top, so what I think really has no bearing....we've seen players get arrested and limply punished by other teams besides UT, but for some reason, you've got a hard on to bash Fulmer and the Vols...so much so, that you choose to defend a proven liar simply because his opinion is the same as yours in this particular instance...:P

[SacFalcFan]

Ton80Kid (2/27/2008)

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SacFalcFan (2/26/2008)

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stumpjumper (2/26/2008)

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I think Ton just pwned that columnist, lol

LOL.. sure when you can't disprove the messenge, you shoot the messenger.. :hehe:

What's to disprove?? He stated an opinion...of course, you want to revere a proven liar as a prophet...so go right ahead. Fact is, I've stated on numerous occassions that I think Fulmer needs to toughen up on the players, but at the same time, I'm not the coach or the AD of Rocky Top, so what I think really has no bearing....we've seen players get arrested and limply punished by other teams besides UT, but for some reason, you've got a hard on to bash Fulmer and the Vols...so much so, that you choose to defend a proven liar simply because his opinion is the same as yours in this particular instance...:P

The main person to blame for this is Fulmer (of course besides the high number of kids who were arrested) and how he is handling his kids. You seem to think because this columnist's lied about his resume then what he writes shouldn't be taken seriously. If an article is correct then it's correct and lying on a resume not sure how many years ago doesn't take away from that.

[Ton80Kid]

SacFalcFan (2/27/2008)The main person to blame for this is Fulmer (of course besides the high number of kids who were arrested) and how he is handling his kids. You seem to think because this columnist's lied about his resume then what he writes shouldn't be taken seriously. If an article is correct then it's correct and lying on a resume not sure how many years ago doesn't take away from that.

Again, you've not heard or read me once, ever say that Fulmer was doing a perfect job in Knoxville...I've acknowledged that he needs to toughen up...however, by the very nature of what a columnist writes, it's to be taken with a grain of salt. He's expressing an opinion...that's all. He's taking a handful of incidents, and using them to base an opinionated conclusion, and you seem to think it's the basis of a factual campaign. He's simply putting his forth opinion...he's not a journalist, he's a COLUMNIST...and he's a proven liar. So you tell me, why should his opinion be deemed correct? Because you said so?? Because Mike Freeman said so?? The NCAA hasn't deemed it be so. The University of Tennessee hasn't deemed it to be so. The offices of the SEC haven't deemed it to be so. So...you tell me, since, in your most neutral and fair minded estimation, Fulmer is evil...should we believe your opinion? Should we believe the opinions of a liar? Or...should we believe in the NCAA, SEC, and U of T President and AD?

:blink:

[SacFalcFan]

Ton80Kid (2/27/2008)

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SacFalcFan (2/27/2008)The main person to blame for this is Fulmer (of course besides the high number of kids who were arrested) and how he is handling his kids. You seem to think because this columnist's lied about his resume then what he writes shouldn't be taken seriously. If an article is correct then it's correct and lying on a resume not sure how many years ago doesn't take away from that.

Again, you've not heard or read me once, ever say that Fulmer was doing a perfect job in Knoxville...I've acknowledged that he needs to toughen up...however, by the very nature of what a columnist writes, it's to be taken with a grain of salt. He's expressing an opinion...that's all. He's taking a handful of incidents, and using them to base an opinionated conclusion, and you seem to think it's the basis of a factual campaign. He's simply putting his forth opinion...he's not a journalist, he's a COLUMNIST...and he's a proven liar. So you tell me, why should his opinion be deemed correct? Because you said so?? Because Mike Freeman said so?? The NCAA hasn't deemed it be so. The University of Tennessee hasn't deemed it to be so. The offices of the SEC haven't deemed it to be so. So...you tell me, since, in your most neutral and fair minded estimation, Fulmer is evil...should we believe your opinion? Should we believe the opinions of a liar? Or...should we believe in the NCAA, SEC, and U of T President and AD? :blink:

You have not heard or read me once either, who said you said fulmer was doing a perfect job in knoxville? Who said what he was saying was fact? Last I checked i called him a columnist the entire time. However just because YOU don't agree with his viewpoint doesn't make what he said FALSE OR INCORRECT. He is paid to give his opinion and he is using a lot of fact and some common sense behind his opinion and saying he lied on a resume so thus that disqualifies him and whatever he says is incorrect IMO. Last I checked the NCAA hasn't commented nor the SEC hasn't either on all the arrests at UT. If you could please link to those comments in full support of fulmer's program and all those arrests that would be appreciated. Regardless of the program whether it was uf or uga or ut there will be commentary made when you have that many arrests in such a short time. Again fulmer has himself to blame for guys like adams and freeman writing about the state of UT's program and the arrests giving it a black eye.

[Ton80Kid]

I've not dismissed Freeman's comments because he's a liar...I've dismissed them because he's spectator on the outside, looking into a situation from very far away. He's not privy to what's going on in the mind of the coaches or the program, yet he sees fit to throw out all kinds of character judgements about Fulmer. The fact that Freeman is a proven liar just makes it all the more entertaining and ironic. :P Just because he uses a few actual events, spread out over time, in his commentary, doesn't arbitrarily make his opinion a fact. It doesn't make it right. ****, that's like saying because O'Douls, Samual Adams, and a yeast roll share a couple of ingredients, they must all be the same thing. :hehe:

As for reading what you've written...I've read it. ****, most on here have...how can they avoid it? You spend nearly as much time trashing Fulmer and the Vols' football team as you do gloryholing the Bulldogs. You are correct though...Fulmer is to blame, at least in part, for the problems with the team...he's the HC, so it's something that goes along with the job. However, acknowledging that he and the program need to tighten up, is a far cry from proving Fulmer to be a classless, immoral, win at all costs coach. Without having ever been present during any of the decision making sessions on how to discipline the student athletes, I can't say that he's making the right or wrong choices...and neither can you, Mike Freeman, John Adams, or anyone else here on this or any other MB. We're all outsiders looking in...

And for the record, I never said that NCAA or the SEC have commented on the goings on at UT...I've said that they haven't deemed there to be a disturbing situation there. Maybe there lack of commentary means that they're accumulating all of their information, before they pounce on Fulmer and drum him out of college football. Or maybe, like most of us, they're simply taking a more cautious, wait and see approach to this matter. This recent trend doesn't automatically prove anything...however, it does warrant more scrutinous observation to make sure that there's NOT something more sinister happening on Rocky Top...and if in the end, some real evidence is brought to light Fulmer is indeed sacrificing the integrity of the program to win, then I'll be right there with the rest of the mob to toss his ##### right off of Rocky Top...but it ain't gonna be because a couple of columnists or because several haters, deem it to be so...

[KeepItDownHomeCuz]

OJ Simpson displaying UT's new wide receivers gloves

[Ton80Kid]

millejb (2/27/2008)

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OJ Simpson displaying UT's new wide receivers gloves

That's a bit harsh...**** it's funny though. :P

[SacFalcFan]

millejb (2/27/2008)

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OJ Simpson displaying UT's new wide receivers gloves

lol... for some reason at my job this link was blocked..