Photo by News Sentinel Staff
Tennessee's own Kenny Chesney poses with the Florida cheerleaders during the game in Gainesville
Back where I come from
Where I’ll be when it’s said and done
I’m proud as anyone
That’s where I come from
That’s where I come from
I’m an old Tennessean
Well, I’m proud as anyone
That’s where I come from
— “Back Where I Come From,” Kenny Chesney
Is Luttrell native Kenny Chesney a stinking, no-good traitor to the God-fearing people of Big Orange Country, or is he regular, decent folks like the rest of us?
You’ll be the judge of that, ladies, gentlemen and the undecided of the jury.
“First of all,” the Chez says in a phone conversation with the Insider, “people don’t even know what they saw. I’ve heard a lot of stuff that was just untrue.”
For your consideration:
Rumor: The Chez was allegedly on the Florida sidelines during this year’s game in Gainesville, where the Vols played against the Gators.
Chesney says: Incorrect.
“I was on the Tennessee sidelines. The only reason I was in Gainesville is because Tennessee was playing there. I stood beside (Vols assistant athletic director) Condredge Holloway all game and Roger Frazier.”
Rumor: The Chez went over to the Florida sidelines so he could sign autographs and be proudly photographed with the Gator cheerleaders and mascot.
Chesney says: Incorrect again, gator breath.
“I was on the Tennessee sidelines. I can’t help it if the Florida cheerleaders want to come over and have a picture made with me. The mascot did the same thing.”
Rumor: The Chez was proudly wearing a Florida Gators helmet during a gig for those third-world folks.
Chesney says: Well, yes, he did that — but it was several months ago. Before the torch-wielding villagers start to storm his palace, he should explain by putting everything in context:
“People were upset because I was wearing a Florida Gators helmet at a concert last March. Remember when we did the ‘Keg in the Closet’ tour in Knoxville? We were doing the same thing in Gainesville. A bunch of the players came up (onstage) and put a helmet on my head. … It was as innocent as it could have been.”
Those vile reprobates! How dare they disgrace our beloved superstar in such a manner! Before you know it, they’ll start buying his records and enjoying them, too.
Then they’ll expect him to appreciate their support. Oh, those Gator fans are sneaky. What is the world coming to?
Rumor: The Chez doesn’t love Tennessee anymore.
Untrue, say the Luttrell native.
“One thing that makes Knoxville great and one thing that makes Tennessee football great is the fact that people revolve their whole life around it. That is what makes it unique and special.
“I was no different growing up.
“I have a lot of people around the world that — thank God — are listening to me and my band’s music. That just so happens to (include) a lot of college and pro football players that don’t necessarily play or coach at the University of Tennessee.
“They all come to the show, and they all have a great time.”
Rumor: The Chez is Tennessee football’s No. 1 fan.
Well, according to him, he is. Those might be fighting words for other celebs with hometown ties such as David Keith and Johnny Knoxville, both of whom may want to lay claim to the title.
Davy is on the sidelines for the games, too, and we hear that Jonathan has been known to get in on some local betting-pool action. Actually, a lot of betting-pool action.
The Chez is one up on them, though. “I wrote the John Ward tribute song,” the Chez says. “That didn’t seem to make anybody angry.”
WORDS TO LIVE BY. “I doubt that these people who are so angry with me would be so angry if we were up 59 to 20 (during the Florida game).” — Kenny Chesney, theorizing on the roots of football fans’ displeasure with him in Knoxville. The Vols lost the game 59-20.
Terry Morrow’s blog is http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/. He reviews for “Style,” Fridays on WBIR, Channel 10, and “The Marc & Kim & Frank Show,” weekday mornings, WWST-FM, Star 102.1. He may be reached at 865-342-6445 and Morrow2@knews.com.
UT's new $45 million football…
Images from Larry Murphy's book on…
Smokey undergoes physical therapy at UT
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 42
volsfan327 writes:
We UT fans would still be upset if we were up 59-20 and he was wearing a gator helmet. Chesney was interviewed on the sidelines, about not having on Orange and being from Tennessee and played down his support for Tennessee on air. I have no problem with his singing and who his fans are, just don't call yourself the #1 Vol Fan and act like he acted in order not to offend his "other" fans. When you are standing on the sidelines at a UT Game, saying your the #1 Fan, your actions should line up with your words!
jandjhome#228397 writes:
Amen volsfan.
utcomvol (Inactive) writes:
What Tennessee fan, let alone the #1 fan, would not wear orange to a UT football game? Lost a lot of respect for him that day. I don't mind him playing in Gainesville because he has to make a living of coure. However, he seemed pretty comfortable in that Gators helmet, and what Tennessee fan would ever be caught dead wearing anything Florida related?
volsfan327 writes:
P.S Just seeing him with those Florida Gators today on the front of our Knoxville paper, makes me sick all over again! Will this nightmare ever end?!?!?!??!?
invisiblekid writes:
whatever
Smokey1 writes:
Are y'all serious...don't you guys anything better to do than sit around and bash the "Chez" cause of something he did or didn't do...who give's a rat's a$$ what he thinks or who he's a fan of. Does it really matter?
GerryOP writes:
Some of you folks just can not find enough things to be angry about! Right i-kid, whatever!
cdldoc#211897 writes:
This site has people that will whine about anything. Get a job. If you have a job, get back to work. If you don't have a job go get your welfare check.
mattingly writes:
This is misdirected anger. Period. End of sentence. Kenny's credentials are fine by me. This whole idea seems a little P.C. to me.
yeavols#228407 writes:
Leave Kenny out of this...if Kenny was wearing blue and orange selling gator souvenirs, he wasn't on the field playing. If the VOLS want to win against the gators, they better start learning how to play against them. It's that simple. Ya'll will look for anything or anyone to blame other than our coaching staff. Get a life!
TNWOLFPUP writes:
Kenny bleeds orange always has and always will....somehow that ends up on your birth certificate when you're from Tennessee - I only wish I had those credentials but I don't. Also, there would be no way he could've been on the field even if those gator bastards wanted him to be - he said himself many times that - HE COULDN'T EVEN SEE OVER THE OFFENSIVE LINE.....
We lost those games because our team of good players are being coached by people who are still living in the 1990's and our schemes are obsolete.
doctorvol#211700 writes:
the John Ward song validated him quite well, but I wish he hadn't tried to be "professionally correct" along the sideline. Enough.
gmccown007#392764 writes:
What if I were to GUARANTEE you that I can give all of you the name of the ONE and ONLY coach in the whole of America that can return Tennessee to ALL of its heartbreakingly long lost days of glory? Now, if I could "do" such a miraculous, seemingly impossible thing, would you immediately "sign up" and --- with all of your heart --- "get on board"? Or would you --- with the NEGATIVITY that has now engulfed the VOL NATION --- and indeed, is now threatening to DESTROY it --- INSTEAD join --- GLEEFULLY, no doubt --- in the FLOOD OF NEGATIVITY that would almost certainly follow an idea so "wild" and, no doubt, certain to be PERFECT? Perfect, that is, once all EMOTION is completely wiped away.
I have --- literally --- been sitting in that once hallowed stadium for OVER 55 YEARS!!! NO ONE'S blood runs any more orange than mine! NO ONE'S!!! Consequently, there is NO PRICE (other than my immortal soul) that I would not pay for a return to those once halcyon days of glory.
Want to return to such days of triumphant joy? Admittedly, now, only for a mere handful of remaining years? Or do all of you prefer to merely continue to endlessly, fruitlessly bicker? There is only the tiniest window of opportunity now left. But that window DOES exist. With no blasphemy whatsoever intended, there is a "savior" available to us. Incredibly, he is even a native son. Tennessee born and bred. Further, he is, regardless of one’s prejudices, the GREATEST football "genius" alive. WITHOUT QUESTION!
Now, mind you, we do not always see eye-to-eye. Collectively, or otherwise. But who cares? Particularly, for such a magnificent ultimate "prize"? I have sat around a hundred tables and heard it repeated a thousand times.
"Native son or not he would never take the job. Besides, there is no one alive who hates Tennessee any more than he does”.
I promise you, folks. Neither statement is true. Now, it IS true that out of high school, he “refused” our recruitment. But only because he was determined to remain a quarterback.(Tennessee still ran exclusively single wing and not being a Tim Tebow “type” (of that day or any other), he knew his running skills simply were not adaptable to U-T's offensive sets. And, mind you, he was more than "right".
Once he became a coach, though, he has been ready --- more than once --- to come back to Tennessee. Justifiably, though, he has never judged it "right" or "proper" to do the asking. And, indeed, why should he have?
Of whom are we speaking? Well, the one and only one man who can save the "train-wreck" that is now Tennessee football. Steve Spurrier.
By the way, time is running out. Like Lou Pinella with the Cubs, this would, guaranteed, be Spurrier’s last hurrah.
At this stage, it would probably call for one dollar more than Lou Saban. In case you have forgotten, the man who just handed us our a$$.
I don’t know about you but I will never forget that pain. Never.
I’m good for the first $100,000.00. Anybody got a dollar?
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
Kenny who?
glenncandrews#217154 writes:
Spurrier? Count me in. I'm good for $50,000.00 if we can get this done right away.
murrayvol writes:
Chesney's act mirrors the economy. He's global. If he ever plays Omaha, he'll be a Cornhusker for a day. Get over it! We've got issues that go a helluva lot deeper than this.
10ACVOL writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
OldNumber7 writes:
Them boys are prettier than them girls. Especially the goon with the Bart Simpson hairdo.
Kenny, more cowbell.
agentorange writes:
i put on my pants one leg at a time just like anybody else. but after i put on my pants, i make gold records. more cowbell.
geniuspearl writes:
Was this interview written on Kenny's private island? Failed to mention thats where he come from.
wheatbarley writes:
Kenny is this year's David Keith.
King30 writes:
gmccown007,
Great post. I despise Spurrier but if that's what it would take to put the fire back into this storied, stagnant program, bring him on.
I seriously doubt he would even consider it, but, hey, 4 million could sway anybody. I guess we care enough about our beloved Vols to pony it up. Bama sure did.
One thing's for certain. If this team doesn't finish with at least 8 regular-season wins, a change is gonna come. Whether it be Fulmer or one of his "Associate" Head Coaches, Peterson will make a change or two. The pressure will be too great not to. The national attention alone will see to that. Let alone the discontent of the faithful.
Thanks for your insightful post, your 55 years of dedication, and your 100 grand. That's a start.
dfreeman writes:
You guys are funny talking about Kenny! Having met Kenny Chesney on loads of different occasions I can tell you he is a true UT fan. On the occation that he was around and the weirdness that it was him in the same room, UT football was the one thing that could always put you on common ground! GO MR BEAN we are proud of you!!
snafu14u#241639 writes:
This is a waste of space.Who cares?bonzaivol
pdhuff#552644 writes:
What a total turn-off! WHO CARES!
elsinoresam writes:
He was wearing a Boston Red Sox hat on the sidelines, not a Florida or Tennessee Hat. THAT was the politically Correct part.
GreerVol22 writes:
GMC, can you rephrase that? ...I fell asleep and missed most of it.
auttat writes:
Does mccown have to post that book of a comment on every article? Sheesh, I've seen it 5 times and I'm yet to read it. It's just too long. I think he wants Spurrier to coach at UT, but I could be wrong.
Who cares what Kenny Chesney did? He is an entertainer. Vol fans are idiots!!
Hoss44 writes:
Why in the world was little Kenny, the world's biggest vol fan not wearing any orange on the sidelines??? What true Vol fan would even play Gainesville?
jhenson#377512 writes:
Unless the powers that be happen to slip some Chesney in on one of my alternative rock, heavy metal, 80s rock, Christian Rock, or sports talk stations, I won't be hearing him regardless of what team he pulls for so I could care less.
BuckFama writes:
I'll buy him a Florida hat if he'll stop wearing that stupid black cowboy hat. It makes him look much more silly than he already is. I hate for people who live in other parts of the country to learn that he's from this area.
But in the end, one thing that can tie all of us together - Vols fans, Vols detractors, Fulmer fans, Fulmer haters - is the mystery of how this site went from being very good to the point where it's running an article on a weasel like Kenny Chesney.
todd#529269 writes:
low life traitor!!
VolsorCat writes:
Geezo Peezo! Who TF cares! If UT had beat the hell out of Florida, Kenny could have worn a pink Florida Gator Tebow jersey and I would not have cared. I want my football team to win. Everything else regarding UT is second fiddle right now. Buck Fama!
jhenson#377512 writes:
gmc...post some new material bro. Your Spurrier rant wasn't that interesting the first time, yet you've re-posted it god only knows how many times.
jdcdjc#246285 writes:
Kenny is as Orange Blooded as any of us. There is no doubt of his love for the Vols. You folks let it go.
abrown#232236 writes:
There are better endorsers out there. He is cheesy. I'll go with the Letterman Kicker (David Keith) and the hilarious P.J. Clapp over this cheeseball anyday. Let him do his countrified carribean cornball act for another team as I'm kind of embarrassed to have to claim him. Yes -- Kenny Chest-nuts lost me at "Hello."
scttmcdonald#551862 writes:
So, the local boy is only supposed to show allegiance to UT? I am certain if he only showed or concerned himself with East Tennessee area fans, we wouldnt even know his name right now. He would just be another of many "I could have...." idiots you meet on the strip chugging beers at Ivy's (Is that place even around any more?)
As any successful person knows, you have to be a diplomat to your product and to your products supporters. I could care less if he was arrested for running down the street naked in a drunken obsession filled rage because Peyton Manning rejected his advances.
The real issue here is the demise of the once elite Volunteer's. Not what some local celebrity's actions may or may not suggest.
bowerst#242774 writes:
The funny thing is that the same so-called fans who are upset that Chesney got his picture made with some Florida cheerleaders also want Spurrier to coach UT. Who's the traitor?
scttmcdonald#551862 writes:
Reminds me of the Knox Catholic kid, Harrison Smith, picked Notre Dame over UT and everyone thought of him as a traitor.
Obviously, this kid understands the value of academics over atheletics.
Colliervol writes:
Now if he can just dispel those other rumors.
On a serious note, in that business, it all boils down to selling records and he's pretty successful at that. A little too much bubble gum for my taste but some of his stuff ain't bad. I'm more partial to George Jones, Vern Gosdin and Alan Jackson but, hey, whatever floats your boat.
abrown#232236 writes:
I'm diehard UT, and those UF cheerleaders would have to tie me down and torture me to have me show my face on the Gator's sideline. In fact, I challenge those young ladies right now to take their best shot at changing my allegiance. Let the games begin...
PRNDL writes:
Kenny's managers said that the season was early, Kenny was young, and that he was gonna work like heck to change this image thing. We're gonna have to make some adjustments. I think we just weren't real doggon prepared down in Gainsville, but we spend 15 minutes on fixing this thing. He went on to say hopefully, you guys will see a better prepared Kenny in Knoxville on Saturday.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.