Fulmer measures discipline, 'football family'

Former University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer said Monday three factors have to be considered when deciding whether players charged in a crime should be allowed to play or not.

"You've got to do the right thing for the kid and his family and your family - your football family," said Fulmer during a press conference held to talk about his cameo role in the movie "The Blind Side," which opened over the weekend.

Fulmer's comments came on the same day that charges of attempted armed robbery against safety Janzen Jackson, 18, in a botched holdup Nov. 12 outside the Pilot convenience store on Cumberland Avenue were dropped. However, charges against two former players, Nu'Keese Richardson, 18, and Mike Edwards, 18, still stand.

UT coach Lane Kiffin dismissed Richardson and Edwards. A decision on Jackson has not been announced yet.

Though Fulmer did not directly talk about what he would do in the situation of those three players, he said he could empathize with the tough decisions Kiffin has had to make.

"You take a full body of things and you look at them. Not everybody would have the same perspective on things as the guy sitting in the chair making the decision does," Fulmer said.

"From my 17 years, there were a lot of young men that I helped through tough situations that did very well. When it called for it, I made for the decisions that eliminated guys from the program, good players or bad players of whatever they were.

"That's what you have to do. You have to take each one of them individually and make a decision and not be influenced on what somebody else might think."

During one period while Fulmer was coach, the Vols had 11 players either arrested or issued citations during a 13 1/2-month period. The string started shortly before the 2004 SEC championship game and went until the 2005 season.

Terry Morrow may be reached at 865-342-6445.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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