"Tyler was accountable to me, he was very remorseful, and he has accepted the responsibilities of what he was charged with.'Bruce Pearl
The face of the Tennessee men's basketball program will change one week after All-SEC forward and senior team captain Tyler Smith was among four players arrested on misdemeanor drug and weapons charges after a New Year's Day traffic stop in Knoxville.
UT coach Bruce Pearl made the announcement Friday that Smith, featured on the cover of the Vols' media guide as well as numerous other preseason publications and material, has been dismissed from the program.
The three other players in the rental car with Smith when it was stopped for speeding - post Brian Williams, wing Cameron Tatum and pont guard Melvin Goins - will miss their second straight game and will not play for the No. 16 Vols (11-2) against No. 1-ranked Kansas (14-0) on Sunday and remain suspended indefinitely.
It proved to be an ominous sign when the billboard along I-40 featuring Smith in his No. 1 jersey was covered up on Wednesday.
"Tyler was accountable to me, he was very remorseful, and he has accepted the responsibilities of what he was charged with,'' Pearl said. "We understand there's a code of conduct for student athletes.
"As we've said, playing basketball at the University of Tennessee is a privilege, and where conduct is displayed that is detrimental to the team and the University, discipline is required.''
UT released a statement from Smith, who apologized to his teammates and showed remorse for what happened.
"First, I want to thank the University of Tennessee, the UT Athletic Department and the basketball program for my support here. This place is a family for me and I look forward to a long relationship with this team and program as I go on in life.
I am truly sorry for my actions in the recent case that everyone is familiar with. From the beginning, I have accepted responsibility for my actions and what I have been charged with, and I am very sorry that my decisions have affected Brian, Cam and Melvin.
One day soon I hope I can finish the 12 classes that I need for my degree. My recent actions do not reflect who I am and I can only hope that what I do in the future can make everyone believe in me again."
Pearl said it was his understanding that Smith would accept the misdemeanor weapons charges and "go forward with the rest of his life" that likely includes professional basketball.
Smith's attorney, Don Bosch, addressed briefly the ongoing criminal investigation.
"I hope and believe that the misdemeanor cases against him will be resolved quickly and consistent with the thousands of other true first offenders in Knox County," Bosch said. "We have no further comments at this time."
The Knox County District Attorney General's office is handling the misdemeanor charges against Smith and his former teammates.
John Gill, special counsel to district attorney Randy Nichols, said today he could not comment specifically on Bosch's statement or the charges against Smith.
Generally speaking, however, he said several factors go into the resolution of first-offender cases.
"It depends on the surrounding circumstances, the facts you may know that are not public and the individual's background," Gill said.
"The facts control (what is generally done). Now the facts are usually similar. It just depends on things, many of which are not public at this time.
"We try to be as strict as possible on weapons."
Smith, a former standout at Giles County High School, signed with UT in 2004. He asked for his release after Buzz Peterson was fired after the 2004-05 season. Pearl refused to grant Smith a release and ended up at Hargrave Military Academy. He enrolled at Iowa and was named Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten during the 2006-07 season. Smith, wanting to be closer to his father who was diagnosed with cancer, was granted his release from Iowa and transferred to UT in May of 2007. He was a unanimous All-SEC selection last season after making All-SEC his first season with the Vols.
Smith had declined the option of leaving UT to enter the NBA draft after the past two seasons. He went through pro evaluation process following last season before announcing at press conference that he would remain with the Vols for his senior season.
Smith was averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 26.8 minutes. He had been leading the Vols in minutes played and assists (44), and Smith ranked second in the nation in assist-turnover ratio.
"His legacy at Tennessee is tarnished, we understand that,'' Pearl said. "But at the same time he accomplished a great deal here as a player."
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Comments » 28
Fryinpansvols writes:
Good luck Tyler on your future endeavors. However, I think our team chemistry might come together now. GBO and beat Kansas!
knoxdaniel#213742 writes:
Working at Juvenile Detention Center, UT and other universities need to get in these kids' background search. I am not saying these four have a record. We need to allow laws to do this, for this reason. But instead we have privacy laws due to their age. We have plenty of young individuals that do what they need to do, and we don't need these wanna be gang-bangers coming in and thinking they are hot sh*t caring a weapon with them. My other question is where is the drug testing? You know this isn't the first time.
volsn3 writes:
i agree totally....DRUGS is a problem at the University of Tennessee...where is the testing...i hate to say it, but i have been around marijuana....it is fairly easy to tell who has used it without a test...a picture is worth a thousand words....look at the mug shots
tnsportsman writes:
Good luck Tyler and we will miss you. We accept your apology and wish you the best.
Do the right thing and clean up your act. We wish you the best in the NBA. When the time comes, come back to UT and get your 12 hours for your degree.
Your actions going forward will determine how your history at UT will be looked upon.
Go Vols!
vol94 writes:
Off the subject but go AJC.com.
Blake Sims decommitted from Bama tonight
and looking at UT. Could be a huge QB pick up?
AJC College Sports Recruiting Blake Sims de-commits to Bama, reopens recruitment
9:10 pm January 8, 2010, by Chip Towers
------------------------------------------
Gainesville quarterback Blake Sims shockingly backed out on his commitment to Alabama the day after it won the national championship. (AJC photo)
Apparently Blake Sims wasn’t too impressed with Alabama’s national championship.
The Gainesville quarterback, a long time commitment to the Crimson Tide, de-committed to the national champions on Friday and has completely re-opened his recruitment. He’s now considering Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, West Virgina and Michigan as well as Alabama.
“I love Coach [Nick] Saban and all the Alabama people, but it just didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” Sims told AJC high schools reporter Michael Carvell Friday night. “I had to tell [Saban] first, before the word got out. It was a tough conversation, but I think he understood where I coming from. He respected that I called to tell him myself, rather than have to hear it from other people.”
For this you can thank the Tennessee Volunteers. Head coach Lane Kiffin and assistant Ed Orgeron had an in-home visit with Sims on Wednesday and convinced him they he ought to be playing on the offensive side of the ball in college and not on defense. Sims had concerns that Alabama wanted to play him on defense and was not enamored with the Tide’s offense anyway.
gillblog writes:
What needs to happen, what should happen to correct the problems at UT and so many other schools is to disassociate the 'big-time' national media-level sports programs from their educational connections with Universities. The athletics programs should become corporate entities unto themselves and much like campus bookstores or cafeteria services, buy a franchise name from the University. These entities would go on doing what they do, playing football or baseball or basketball games in the public arena, but the young people participating in respective sports would not derive a scholarship eligibility from that participation. As such, they would become in name what they are now in fact, semi-pro teams with athletes, who, if they wished, could attend the University, but their status in the institution would in no way be connected with their participation in the sporting events. Athletic associations would simply carry the franchise name of a particular university and continue in it's function of putting sports entertainment into the public domain. In this way, the athletes themselves would have no one to fall back on but themselves in their personal and public behavior, just like the pros (which, loyal fans, is what they really are already).
In this way, and only in this way can Universities continue to derive large sums of money from the sports events while at the same time maintaining academic integrity and discrimination. A student would be just that, a student, in the University who also happened to work as an athlete for the Universities' sports association.
It's draconian and crass on the surface, but if you look at it from the prespective of the principals governing attainment of higher education, it is the only way to solve the problems we see before us. And, at the same time, it satisfies the need of the public to associate itself with a sports/entertainment entity.
writer#358485 writes:
Interesting volsn3. I agree with you, you can tell someone who uses marijuana by looking in their eyes. I learned that on the police beat 40 years ago. However, I've never heard anyone else say that, even though it is true. Unfortunately, it is self-inflicted lowering of IQ and other abilities, a crime against self, even if it isn't treated as much of a crime by society anymore. Why anyone would do that to themselves, I have never understood.
I hope Tyler gets his act together and makes something of himself--but he needs to stay off the weed, if indeed he was on it too, which I suspect is the case from the news reports, but obviously I have no way of knowing for sure.
cincivol writes:
Most of you retards on here judging folks were the same ones on their peanuts before. The guy made a mistake and he has accepted his punishment. Tyler I appreciate how you have been orange blood through and through. I hope you get it together and end up as a special bball player and representative for Vol ball.
gillblog writes:
Yes, pay scale and the possible broadening to lower-end, non-revenue producing sports are concerns, but I don't see that term limits or even student status would necessarily be a problem unless the university itself made such stipulations to the franchise agreement. No more so than with the campus bookstore or canteen. The people who work at the University of Tennessee football team have no more academic or employment obligation to the actual University than the employees of the Knoxville Utilities board would have to the civil standards of the Knoxville City Council.
I did say it was crass, and I don't much like these ideas myself, but the world of big-time college athletics today is undeniably the same world as big time entertainment. Big time/big money entertainment cannot be held accountable to the same standards as a college or university because it exists and functions for a totally different purpose.
Once we recognize and accept that for what it really means, ie. the players are in the business of entertaining and not in the pursuit of an education, then we can restructure the associations they presume to have with institutions of higher education in this country. One of the possible advantages would be an increased revenue to the colleges themselves on a contractual basis which can be more directly channeled into scholarship funds for serious students.
Singaporehillbilly writes:
The athletic department needs a face change. Hamilton needs to go.
slov writes:
so if appropriately organized, it would make it ok to pack heat and tote weed?
put away the bong, gillblog.
papabearmaples writes:
Remember Bernard King? He was arguably the greatest player to play for the Vols but he had major character issues as a young man. He had to leave UT after getting caught walking down Andy Holt Blvd with a couple of TVs in his arms. We treat him like royalty now, but his off the court actions were a big embarrassment to Coach Mears and the school. Tyler can overcome this is he really wants to.
gillblog writes:
Assuming your reply is serious;
those behaviors would be governed by the same rules that governed where you yourself work today because the 'teams' would be corporations; money-making businesses just like yours and not the self-serving amateur lawless havens to heat-packing and weed-toting kids who happen to be very good athletes.
gillblog writes:
Try to understand; the difference is that if we had this system and if some of the players on our 'team' had such problems, their actions would not reflect on the university itself as an institute of education, any more than if some employees of the campus bookstore had the same problems. Regretable and unfortunate as their actions might be, they could be punished, restricted, rehabilitated, or incarcarated in accordance with the procedures established by the
'team' and not by the university. Their behavior would be their own responsiblity and would reflect only on themselves, just like your behavior is on your job every day.
gillblog writes:
Sadly, we would have a new kind of farm-team system. And, in a farm-team system there is a very effective internal device of term limits. Players play until they are promoted or 'drafted' to a higher level, or else they are dropped from the team or leave on their own.
VolWoman writes:
I guess you know it alls didn't hear Jimmy Hyams confirm today that multiple sources told him that all 4 players passed their drug tests. Either BW hadn't smoked any yet or he picked it up for someone else. Sorry to interrupt your agenda driven rants...
volfan73120#211815 writes:
Good post VolWoman. I agree.
halloffamebowler writes:
Why do some of you want to continue bashing the A.D. and coaches for the stupidity of grown men.If you are 18 years old,you and only you are accountable for your actions.At 23 years,Smith is an adult and should act like it.Accountability begins at home.Spare the rod and spoil the child.Even that will not always work.Kids can be squeaky clean in high school,but let peer pressure change them in College.Yes,coaches should be more selective when evaluating prospects and should not let good play be the only factor in signing them.I believe in second chances where warranted but guns are definitely a no no.Some crimes do not warrant a second chance,some do.The laws of our land plays a big roll in the way kids can or can not be raised.If you spank a child with the open hand and leave a hand print,you can and in most cases will be charged with child abuse.What a shame.Kids know this and will often get mad and play that against you.I have seen many parents charged with child abuse when in fact they did absolutely nothing wrong.Kids lie to try and get even because they were spanked,knowing very well they will be believed before the parent.I do not condone excessive punishment,but parents should be allowed to get their attention.
volsgirl writes:
WRONG!!!!THIS NOT CAUSE BY THE UNIVERSITY, EVERY SHOOL FACE THIS PROBLEM OUT THERE, THAT HOW REAL WORD IT....
MR HAMILTON DO A LOT GOOD THING FOR THIS UNIVERSITY...GO VOLS BEAT KANSAS
slov writes:
seriously? if you're wearing the jersey, the behavior of the team's personnel (pro or amateur; business or sport) reflects on you. its the price you pay for being a fan.
mrvica#308650 writes:
I bet you are among the first to sing BK's praises. Have you forgotten that except for the gun charges, BK also left with similar drug charges yet he was welcomed with open arms this week and in the past.
You can't have your cake and eat it too. I am confident that if Tyler does make it in the NBA, you and many others will will reverse your position and agree that he is not the disgrace you seem to think he is now. Give the man a chance to prove that he is truly sorry and a chance to redeem himself.
Volumnus writes:
PMan, good post!! I agree.
I have been a strong Vol fan and advocate for 38 years since my graduation. I have friends and associates who have sent me countless emails, texts and voice messages most of which have not been kind. This is a public embarrassment of huge proportions.
In many of my posts, both recent and past (some go back over a couple of years) I have been calling for the accountability of the BB staff in particular for permitting a culture that has allowed this to happen. T. Smith did not just wake up on Jan. 1, 2010 and take a wrong turn. He is a product of a program that has produced a high percentage of social failures over the past few years(during and preceding CBP). By contrast look at the women's side which has had very few failures and those were handled internally and quitely with class and decorum,(Thanks, Pat!!!).
While Tyler will accept his punishment, release his statements and move on with is life(and I accept his apology and do pray he does move on successfully), the coaching staff and athletic dept. which let this happen should be held equally accountable.
There are programs who win more than Tennessee who recruit better students and have fewer problems with the players they recruit. It can be done, but it appears that at UT in men's BB it is a mindset to pass those students by.
As an institution UT needs to rehab its public image immediately and decisively. Part of that rehab should be clean breaks from the people you mentioned. They don't need to be hanging around the program(s).
I will pull for The Vol Teams and support them and cheer for them if they lose every game doing it the right way! GBO!
corrinebrown writes:
CBP thanks for another succesful year
Your friends,
BIG ORANGE BONDING CO.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
Is that you Corrine? Thanks for sticking up for Corch Hamilton...
Volumnus writes:
BK had several brushes with authority when at UT, including an incident where he "borrowed" a city vehicle. The city chose not to pursue the matter since campus police returned the car within an hour and the car was unharmed. So he was no angel. He however did not compound his escapades with drugs, alcohol and fire arms. What he did back when he did it was not at the same level. He never did anything that involved the ATF.
JACK8254 writes:
I thought that Tyler Smith was too smart to do what he apparently did do. What a waste for all concerned.
gillblog writes:
Sorry.
Obviously, I did not explain clearly enough for you to understand.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
You made a very thought-provoking case, but the ideas are so novel that many posters are having a hard time getting their minds around them. We sometimes forget that the relationship between schools and teams has already undergone several significant shifts in the more than 100 years that relationship has existed. George Will wrote a very interesting column a couple of weeks ago that chronicled some of those shifts. Even given the almost unprecedented money and interest tied up in the present system, it is not graven in stone, or even in law beyond the anti-trust provisions, so some kind of seismic shift could very well happen. Thanks for giving us some "out-of-the-box" thinking on this issue, though the small-minded will rarely thank you for it.
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