also, from bruce feldman:
Industry source: “Throughout this entire (#Tennessee) coaching search Phil Fulmer has tried to undermine AD John Currie in hopes of becoming the AD there.”
why is this not surprising? and, sorry drew, but if this is remotely true, i know the man loves tenn, but that man is a cancer and needs to be disassociated asap.
when i say this is a soap opera, i ain't kiddin.
and it draws you in like a movie script- character's are developed, plots presented.. it's- hilarious without that intent.
so...
Davenport hired Currie who was her friend and friend of booster Jimmy Haslam... she took the role over who was the heir apparent Blackburn, who had every intention to hire Fulmer as AD. Fulmer's like a tick- he's embedded.
Haslam runs the show- Davenport and Currie are on his leash. So is Phil.
there has been an active attempt to see Currie fail since this all started, and in effort to project Blackburn and Fulmer, which almost every heavyweight booster other than haslam has wanted since davenport being appointed- knowing that davenport was controlled by haslam and the next HC would be their choice alone. butch jones had no enemies, but he had no friends, either. what he offered in his floundering (which he had been given a number of wins else be fired) was opportunity for blackburn and fulmer (not exactly them, but the people behind them) satisfied by having 'their dog' running the show instead of haslam's.
funny: fulmer is a haslam man, too.
supposedly, fulmer (part of the three headed 'committee' formed by currie and including haslam) has a man prepped for announcement that will make him seem like the hero of this tale- that the other boosters and blackburn have been prepping since it was found haslam couldn't shove Schiano down the throats of everything UT... and it appears that davenport, in effort to save herself (politician always) has left currie out in the breeze- basically shooting down every potential hire he's brought back to her for her approval.
game of thrones or some such crap is happening here.... if you are to subscribe... and, i do to a degree believe there is a inner-office struggle taking place without doubt. the details i don't know, but... all the way back to davenport and currie's hiring, there has been tremendous unrest at UT.
Fulmer is a tool in all of this. he's a good man, but he is certainly going to be the 'hero'. if the name i've heard him having is true, it is a suitable coach.
this ain't over with, though.. the coach will be hired likely by tomorrow (or Sunday morning), but the struggles and fallout on that hill are far from over. I'm thinking the next target is davenport... i also wonder how they'll handle the haslam fallout, as he had promised pony'ing up for a great portion of the renovations coming to Neyland... that throne he purchased and it buried him in the halls of UT for as long as he wants- and he is opposed to blackburn... supposedly...
heheheeheheheeeeeeee!!!!! this is a hot mess like NOTHING i've seen before in college football. HBO? yes... football? nope.