Tennessee Men's Basketball
Tennessee men's basketball players Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins started the new year learning a new - and very costly - life lesson.
The rental car they were stopped in on Jan. 1 was found to have two guns - one under the driver's seat and one under the passenger seat - as well as a small bag of marijuana in a backpack in the back seat.
The traffic stop resulted in Tatum and Goins being suspended four games, including the Vols' historic win over No. 1-ranked Kansas. Neither player was allowed to return to the team until he was cleared by the UT student judicial affairs committee.
Their court case, once postponed, is scheduled to be taken up next Friday in General Sessions Court at 9 a.m.
"You learn you have to always be aware, and you always have to be careful,'' said Goins, a point guard who transferred to UT from Mount Jacinto (Calif.) Junior College. "It was a really unfortunate experience.''
Tatum, who like Goins wasmade available to the media on Friday for the first time since returning from the suspension, said much the same.
"The lesson I learned was to be extremely cautious,'' said Tatum, a redshirt sophomore in his third year with the Vols. "I mean, how often do you look under the seats when you get in your friend's car?
"The hardest part is knowing that some people who don't know me will assume and speculate, and I can understand that,'' said Tatum, who was driving the car when it was stopped for speeding the morning after the players returned from a New Year's Eve event. "But the people who do know me and have stuck by me know I wouldn't be associated with any of those things (guns and drugs).''
Both Goins and Tatum said the hardest part about being suspended was being separated from their teammates.
Senior Tyler Smith was permanently dismissed from the team on Jan. 8, having taken accountability for the firearms, according to coach Bruce Pearl.
Junior post Brian Williams, whose backpack contained the marijuana, continues to serve an indefinite suspension. He'll miss his 10th game tonight against South Carolina, a contest that signifies the midway point of the SEC season.
Williams has continued to work out on his own and could return to action as early as Tuesday night's game at Vanderbilt, a source said.
But once back, it will take Williams time to get back into the flow. Goins and Tatum are just now returning to form.
"They are both playing well,'' Pearl said. "I've been pleased to see Cameron playing so well in limited minutes. His play warrants more time, but J.P. (Prince) has been so productive.''
Tatum has hit 7 of 12 shots from the floor and scored 18 points in the four games he has played since the suspension.
The lightning-quick Goins pulled down a career-high eight rebounds in the Vols' win over LSU and was the only UT defender up to the task of stopping Tigers guard Bo Spencer.
"Spencer scored 25 points, but he didn't get many of them on Melvin,'' Pearl said. "Melvin came in last night and really made a difference.''
Smith, a two-time All-SEC performer, issued a public apology after the incident and will move toward a professional career after the legal process runs its course. He is working out in Nashville and no longer enrolled at UT.
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Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 38
justTRUSTme writes:
This looks a LOT like the "Jackson Learns His Lesson" story you guys ran right before Pilot-Gate
bspurlingcac#225603 writes:
I hope they make the best of their second chance.
BigBadVol writes:
LOL! What happened to the story about the USC recruit?
I hope you make the best out of this second chance. Proof the naysayers wrong by doing the right things.
vol75 writes:
While some may doubt their story, there is no reason to believe otherwise. These two young men have learned a very tough lesson in life. Now they deserve our support. Coach Pearl has judged them ready to return to the team. They have been welcomed back by the team. Regardless of what happens in basketball, it seems that their true character will continue to sustain them. Good luck, guys.
vol_4_fan writes:
They deserve our support for no other reason other than we do not know the true story. It was nice having both of them play well on the road at LSU, the best they have played since coming back. Stay the course guys and both will be better in the long run! Go Vols
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Best of luck to both of you! Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance, well, maybe...... except for OJ. Lets play some ball and Goins, I hope you drive Downey nuts!
VOLS.....TCB......KOKO.....GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jdcdjc writes:
Coach might be high on Goins, but I would rather have Mayes any time and he can hit his foul shots.
wayoutwill writes:
I support them for one reason;they are playing for the team I bleed orange for...rah,rah ree,kick 'em in the knee,rah,rah,raz,kick 'em in the er,um,uh,other knee?Go Vols!I think we may wind up being better than we were going to be with Smith on the team,just a guess,but we shall see if the right leader(s) step to the front and lead us on to glory!Smith was too dazed and confused to do much but munch on some cookies,er brownies at the rate he was going;now we understand his problem(s) better;hope he can get it right before those awful drugs bring him down!
VOLKING writes:
I would rather have Mazola myself...or maise, or mace, or mayeze, or manzini, or mayse, or maids....yeah, that's it....Made's. Any of those are better than Maze. Sheesh.
1Volunteer writes:
To my knowledge, Tyler Smith has not been charged with any drug offense. He is in trouble for the gun-related offenses.
Although his offensive production did not match last year's, his shooting percentage was very good. We have no proof that drugs had anything to do with his performance. I regard him innocent until proven guilty.
Tyler's public statement said that the circumstances on Jan. 1 did not accurately represent the kind of person he is. I think that's true.
Best of everything to you, Tyler. I too hope that you will be able to finish your coursework and get your diploma from UT.
johnnyvol writes:
Tyler this will all pass with time,and be behind you.As a father myself,I know how bad you feel about not making a choice that put yourself in a bad light,but you have worked through so much adversity in the past to get to us! your VOL family.I know we all want the very best for you and your family.WE ALL MAKES MISTAKES IN LIFE AND I HAVE NO DOUBT YOU WILL OVER COME ALL THE RUFF THINGS LIFE THROWS AT US HANG TUFF BRO.You work and i know you'll make vol nation PROUD!
basevol31#584179 writes:
So is Josh Bone back in the shadows now since they are back? I think he proved he should be worked in to the rotation.
FeelVol writes:
Yes I'd say Bone is back in the shadows,Pearl is just to high on Goins and I'd have to admit that while I liked Bones' game he didn't seem to have the overall game that Goins has,example eight rebounds against LSU.
volcycle writes:
Hmmm...he doesn't associate with guns and drugs...didn't the police report say that there was the smell of freshly smoked marijuana lingering in the air?
TinaTennesseeVol writes:
I don't know that we will ever know what was really going on in the car that night/morning. I am still very disappointed in the boys' actions- what kind of role model are they setting for my four year old, who loves Tennessee Basketball? I want him to watch players that WANT to be there and stay on the right track- positive role models. Is there such a thing anymore? I think those involved should become Johnny Q. Benchwarmers and watch the Skyler McBees, the Steven Pearls, and others lead the Vols to victory.
MidTennVol writes:
This whole affair is now looking like a case study in how to run a responsible college basketball program. But I hope Cam and Melvin are fresh out of second chances. Time will tell.
MidTennVol writes:
Very good point and I think you're right.
kd45music writes:
I've read several books about brain chemistry and genetics. Apparently some people are not capable of learning from mistakes due to an abundance of certain brain chemicals. Let's hope these guys are in the group that can learn from mistakes and don't repeat the process sometime later in their lives.
summerof69 writes:
I am a bones fan too. May see him tonight against downey, that gives us 15 fouls to give guarding him tough.
I hope his lack of minutes are just from talent in front and not another issue. Anybody confirm?
allntl1#565211 writes:
This incident really scared me. I went out to my truck and checked my pistol I bought used to make sure the serial numbers were all OK then I put it up in my house. I guess Smith is 21 or 22 years old and it must be illeagal to have a gun in your car in Tenn.
I do not know but where I live you can have a gun in your car. Just playing defense attorney.
rockytopatl writes:
Agreed. It's logical to assume both guys passed and that's why they are back on the team.
Most fans in the aftermath wanted all four tarred and feathered even before the facts were known. The attitude reminded me of a Wild West lynch mob.
volinhighpoint writes:
Just for your information, of course it is illegal to carry a fire arm in your car without a carry permit. It is scary to know there are people with your limited mental capacity carrying weapons.
BigBadVol writes:
I don't really like their answer about the lesson learned. Be more careful? What does that mean? How about learning there are consequences for poor decisions.
1Volunteer writes:
"Doesn't associate with guns or drugs"? Who said that? "Freshly-smoked"? Who said that? The officer said he smelled marijuana. If he meant "smoke" by that, as I had assumed he did, has it been proved that Tyler was smoking?
I am opposed to use of marijuana. No one who uses it (or possesses it) should be considered a true athlete, nor allowed to play on any school's team. That applies to Brian Williams, at least until he can establish he is an ex-user/possessor. It also applies to Tyler when it is established that he is a user. It has not been, and it is a moot point since the felony gun charges alone have removed him from the team.
Whatever association Tyler has had with any of it, I hope that it is all behind him and he has a very successful life.
schymtz writes:
I know one thing - this conversation is a distraction. I wish this article had not been written. It was. It only stirs the uninformed debate. Nobody here can change what happened. The team's focus is on beating South Carolina. That's where we fans need to be focused.
chestnutglade writes:
William can't say he did not know what was in his back pack. He should be KICKED OFF the team.HE know what the law is.
volinhighpoint writes:
A carry permit is required to have a gun in your car in Tennessee and any other civilized state in the union. It is scary to think you have a firearm and have such a limited knowledge of state laws.
vol_4_fan writes:
There sure seem to be a lot of JUDGES on site. Go Vols
johnlg00 writes:
More a matter of "horses for courses", I think. Let's face it, none of our PGs are the complete package, at least not all the time, against everybody. Some games we need Bobby's offense more, some games Goins' defense more, and some games we need Bone's steadiness and outside shooting. IMHO, Bobby needs to be the main man in crunch time, mostly because he is the best free-throw shooter of the three and is in fact the closest to a complete PG package of those three.
johnlg00 writes:
Oh, a policeman would NEVER say anything like that if it weren't true! He was covered by the fact that a bag of pot was discovered by a drug dog, but if he had been wrong about what he said he smelled, all he would have to do is say, "Well, gee, I guess I was wrong," and no one could have said anything about it.
I don't know how much you know about second-hand pot smoke, but if there were in FACT enough fresh smoke in the car that the officer could smell it through a recently-opened driver's side window in a recently closed-up car in January, it would have been enough for it to show up on a drug test for anybody in the car. CBP said explicitly that Tatum and Goins had both passed drug tests shortly AFTER the incident, and it takes weeks after exposure for a person to test clean again. Now I suppose you could say that CBP lied about that, but that would be pretty hard to cover up, since the UT student conduct officials had to know about it as well.
johnlg00 writes:
The only issue, as I understood it, was the altered serial numbers on the gun, and maybe the fact that it was "partially" loaded.
johnlg00 writes:
Since the article didn't specify which lesson they learned, it would be just as easy to assume they learned the lesson you specified, wouldn't it? Especially since Tatum and Goins tested negative for drugs AFTER the arrest. If the guns were under the seat and the pot was in Williams' bag, why would you or anybody else assume Tatum and Goins should have known about them? Isn't is at least possible that Williams, knowing Tatum and Goins weren't pot smokers, didn't tell them about it?
johnlg00 writes:
I agree completely. You were certainly right about stirring the "uninformed debate". I rather doubt the team is giving it anywhere this much attention, but some of us fans would also benefit by giving the situation a rest.
FeelVol writes:
john I'm guessing the clip was in but a round wasn't chambered?I don't suppose a student can have a carry permit.
murrayvol writes:
Derrick Rose types don't come along that often.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
I don't smoke, drink nor do I cuss!! And I'm not leading up to a joke...But it is more wrong to judge others i.e. I don't want to be judged myself.
If we don't forgive others how can we expect to be forgiven?
None of the above comes from my own thinking. I ain't near smart 'nuff.
johnlg00 writes:
I wouldn't be surprised if Bone got some of the minutes Cam Tatum would have gotten if Cam hadn't hurt his ankle. Bone has enough offense to play the 2-guard position in spots. Maze is our best all-around PG and Goins is the heir-apparent for next year. It's pretty hard to play three PGs, just as it is to play three QBs.
johnlg00 writes:
I think it might have been the other way around; the magazine was out but a round was chambered. I don't know that for sure, however. The main issue was the altered serial number in any case.
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