Tennessee coaches and staff should be blamed for losing star basketball recruit Tyler Smith, the player's father said.

The university ended an investigation last week into allegations a booster gave tickets and money to Billy Smith, Tyler Smith's father. Investigators didn't find sufficient evidence to support the claim but did uncover secondary violations.

The university disassociated booster Donnie Cameron, a developer from Franklin, for two years for improperly contacting the Smiths at high school basketball games.

Smith, of Pulaski, signed with Tennessee a year ago when Buzz Peterson was still the coach but changed his mind about becoming a Vol after Peterson was fired and Bruce Pearl was hired.

"I guess it is human nature to look for someone to blame when things do not go the way you want them to," Billy Smith said in a statement.

"The athletic department at the University of Tennessee has nobody to blame but its own coaches and personnel for the actions that turned Tyler away from wanting to participate in the program with the University of Tennessee."

Smith, who is now enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, asked to be released from his letter of intent, but the university denied it.

Peterson, now the head coach at Coastal Carolina, was not named in the secondary violation, and neither were any of the coaches on his staff. Peterson did speak with UT compliance director Brad Bertani during the investigation.

"I thought then that the whole thing was a big witch hunt and still do," Peterson said. "I'm sorry it's come to this."