Kiffin says Oliver incident wasn't an arrest

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin emphasized Wednesday morning that defensive back Nyshier Oliver was not arrested in his first public comments since news broke Tuesday afternoon that the freshman was cited for theft by shoplifting hours before the team played Memphis on Nov. 7.

Kiffin said Oliver, who has not played and will redshirt this season, was disciplined internally. He wasn't allowed to dress for the Memphis game.

Kiffin made his comments during a radio interview on The Sports Animal.

When asked last Thursday about the arrests of three other players in an alleged attempted armed robbery, Kiffin said, "We made it 11 months and 11 days without any incidents."

Oliver was cited at Dillard's department store in West Town Mall when an officer observed him trying to conceal a polo shirt, according to a police report obtained by the News Sentinel.

Banged up I: Kiffin said linebacker Rico McCoy shouldn't have played in the second half of the Ole Miss game last Saturday because of a leg injury. McCoy was limited during Tuesday's practice, along with strongside linebacker LaMarcus Thompson, who suffered a severe stinger against the Rebels.

Freshman linebacker Greg King was also "banged up" during practice on Tuesday, Kiffin said.

Kiffin said former Farragut standout Shane Reveiz practiced with the first team defense on Tuesday.

Banged Up II: Kiffin said former Austin East star Anthony Anderson could see more playing time in UT's defensive backfield after former Fulton star Dennis Rogan was limited in practice Tuesday with a leg injury.

Kiffin said Rogan is questionable for Saturday's game against Vanderbilt.

Kiffin said walk-on Tyler Wolf could also see more time at safety. He played sparingly against Ole Miss.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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