It turns out that receiver Brandon Warren did try to return to Tennessee's football team under new coach Derek Dooley after all.
Just a day after Dooley said no dismissed player, including Warren, had approached him about returning to the Vols, the former Alcoa High School star told the News Sentinel on Thursday that he had indeed met with Dooley about a return shortly after National Signing Day on Feb. 3.
Later Thursday, Dooley said he forgot about the meeting.
"I'll be honest with you; I forgot," Dooley said after UT's first practice of spring camp. "He came in and he did want back. We didn't let him back because he has a record of a lot of team violations that were so great it would be unfair to let him back. It would be unfair to the rest of the team."
Warren said he was initially disappointed by Dooley's decision not to allow him to return, but soon came to terms with the decision.
Warren said he was worried Dooley's statement on Wednesday might make some think he had undermined his attempt to return. The News Sentinel reported in January that Warren was trying to return and working out with some of his former teammates.
Warren was dismissed by former coach Lane Kiffin following an outburst on the sideline during UT's loss to Auburn. He and Kiffin were often at odds before the incident.
Warren and a close friend of the family, William Goodwin, had what Warren described as an "intense" meeting with Dooley on Thursday morning to discuss the oversight.
Dooley said he weighed several factors in determining that Warren would not be allowed to return.
"Everything is case by case and you've got to consider everything," he said. "I think you've got to consider what are some of the things you're trying to change, what part of the culture. What were some of the things that were the problems for him?
"If I do this, what is going to be the consequences to the rest of the team? You've got to consider it all and it was just too much."
Warren, who transferred from Florida State to UT in 2007 and sat out the following season before enrolling at UT, said he will now transfer to North Alabama to play for Terry Bowden, whose father, Bobby Bowden, coached Warren as a freshman when he was named a Freshman All-American at tight end.
"I just want the Tennessee fans to know the truth," Warren stated via text. "And I apologize I wasn't able to display my talents in Neyland Stadium because they deserve it. But the show must continue."
Warren has one year of eligibility remaining.
Tennessee 69, South Carolina 57 men's…
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Comments » 83
rockytopvol writes:
Dooley forgot talking to him just like he forgot how to play.UT moved on and he should have already..
steamboatticket#484773 writes:
What's wrong with UTC?
volsoutwest writes:
That last statement sorta says it all; "And I apologize I wasn't able to display my talents in Neyland Stadium because they deserve it. But the show must continue." It's all about ME, huh?
texasvol73 writes:
Take your "show" elsewhere Brandon. You are a selfish player. As far as Mr. Hooker is concerned, getting a little tired of him trying to stir stuff up that is nothing with CDD. Hey Hook, do you not like the way CDD makes you look like a moron in those press conferences?
BankerVol writes:
HEY HOOKER... 95% of Vol fans HATE YOUR GUTS! The other 5% will in time. Please move to So. Cal with your man crush.
CLEMSONVOL716WASBANNED writes:
Not ragging on CDD because I think he will be good for the program, but how do you forget the meeting with BW and the refusal to allow him back on the team??
imw8n4u writes:
can't wait to see the comments on this one...
imw8n4u writes:
my thoughts exactly!
Azrael writes:
The Tennessee program is slowly falling apart and there is NOT a more deserving program or fan base to be part of this kind of collapse.
tnaseevol writes:
IMO he never forgot, was just hoping no TN fan would pick upon it. Someone, somewhere, sometime, will remember everything, the Vol fans are good at that!
texasvol73 writes:
How do you know that it wasn't a 2 min. phone conversation in the middle of about 100 things the man does in 3 hours? Brandon Warren: "Coach, this is BW, can I bring my show back to Neyland?" Coach DD: "Who? Oh Brandon Warren, no you can't son. Good luck to you have a nice day." Hangup.
I can't remember what tie I wore two days ago. Hate to tell you this, but CDD doesn't spend his time worrying or thinking about who he doesn't have here, especially guys who were kicked off in the past.
So, in response to your post - who cares?
tnaseevol writes:
don't know what to think...Warren said they had an intense talk about the oversight.....probably more to come
tnaseevol writes:
Well, after Dooley was asked about it, he seemed to remember vividly about the reasons why he would not let Warren back. Not raggin' on Dooley, but he needs to not answer questions with an "I forgot" that's what my 8 yr old used to say! BTW he's almost 40 now!
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
Nothing!! GO MOCS!!! WOOO WOOOOOOOO!! Come down to Chattavegas and join BJ Coleman and Chris Donald!! Russ Huessman won't put up with Warren's phooey, either.
99gator writes:
i'm sure brandon feels good about the fact that dooley didn't even remember him.
i thought dooley was smart. he couldn't think of a better lie?
he needs to talk to kiffin or urban, so as to not get this board completely mad at me.
tnaseevol writes:
I agree with you about Warren.....my concern is Dooley and his nonchalant answer, then coming out with all the details in the next sentence.
Tennessee is finally on television!!!!!! been waiting ....GBO
imw8n4u writes:
there are a lot of things I don't linger on, but when someone point blank asks me a question, it tends to bring the memory back.
tnaseevol writes:
Hey, you're right. After I posted the last post, it ocurred to me that is what a lawyer would tell a client to say - To be honest I forgot - or To be honest I can't remember.
We may hear a lot of that in the future.
GBO
knox7320 writes:
Dooley does not owe Warren anything!
tnaseevol writes:
No, he does not, but he was asked point blank, and could not come up with an appropriate answer
that's all......
volsn3 writes:
YOU JUST WISH....I REALLY LOOK FOR A BIG SURPRISE OUT OF THE EAST NEXT YEAR...THE EAST CHAMP MAY HAVE THREE SEC LOSSES
voltan writes:
I hate it when someone tells me "I'll be honest with you" or "To be honest". It makes me think they are not always honest. First black eye for CDD IMHO.
voltan writes:
Might not have looked too good, but it wasn't a violation lol
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
So, a coach's honesty isn't important? Weird, I thought we just got rid of a coach that couldn't seem to tell the truth. Of course, THIS coach has a Southern accent...and he's currently occupying the coach's office, so I guess we should start making excuses for him until he leaves and then we'll be able to act like we all knew he was a lying snake all along.
I'm done being an apologist for UT football coaches. I wasted all my patience and creativity last season trying to explain away Kiffin's weekly slander-fest. Within the last week Dooley has decided that UT tradition needs to be modified (his new "almost-open door" policy towards former players) and he has demonstrated selective memory loss.
Right now these things are only coincidences, but they are starting to add up.
Gator_Hater (Inactive) writes:
Excellent point!
OrangeVeins writes:
Yeah...Gators have to play the Tide in reg. season!
cdonsbach writes:
Hooker's just mad because Dooley embarrassed him at the presser the other day.
T4vols writes:
My thoughts are the same! I am not for letting BW back, but coach Dooley not remembering, then being very vivid with his remarks about, opps forgot about that conversation. What kind of coach do we have? If he wants to make UT his future, then he better be HONEST and FAN FRIENDLY!!!! He needs time, ya, but he will not get it if he acts like this! Time he will not get without the fans! I smell a bit of EGO In our HOUSE that may not last if not proven very quickly!!
CarthageVol writes:
Hooker, Honey, you're making Adams look like a card carrying UT fan. CDD spanked ya where the good Lord splitcha. Who cares what CDD said. Hooker, would you honestly want Warren on the team after last year? Hooker, drop it. It's over.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Good. Glad he's not back. How long of being on the sideline before this guy exploded again?? His best showing was in last years O&W game.
jgl#233810 writes:
CDD continues to look more & more like someone completely out of their depth as a major D1 conference coach.
texasvol73 writes:
BINGO!! Best post of the day ladies and gentleman.
This really is no big deal and I wish everyone would drop it. Seriously, who cares?!
By now, Kiffin would have violated about 5 secondary NCAA rules, if this is all that happens outside what happens on the field, I'm happy.
Madkels writes:
Some of you idiots want to make it something sinister. Did you stop to think he may have a good reason to not disclose this info? Maybe CDD did not want to embarrass Warren by letting everyone know he begged to come back after being dismissed from the team. When the cat was out of the bag, he knew Warren leaked it and owned up.
Ayershall writes:
Here is a player that has been in the dog house more than Smokey. Why do we care?
ladyvolsfan writes:
who cares and making a big deal out of it! i don't think so! if he is supposed to be a coach of morals and integrity, why lie about it? you don't just forget about it and then immediately start talking about details. i hope this isn't the way the program is going to be lead! i will still give him the benefit of the doubt, but not again!
TommyJack writes:
A small footprint in the sands of time.
VolinCalif writes:
One might think that DD was just trying to save WB a little embarrassment about being turned down. Maybe he thought that WB wouldn't want the Vol fans to know he came back knocking at the door. Some folks wouldn't want that known. So don't knock DD.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
I love Chattanooga, but "Chattavegas" sounds like something that should be treated with cream and antibiotics.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
I'll go ahead and clear up what Dooley's "jerk-arse" attitude is: he LIED. It isn't complicated, it isn't Freudian.
I just wish that he had used the phrase "I have no recollection of that event" rather than "I forgot." "I forgot" is so...boring.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
What a good idea!! And while we're at it, lets all get herpes and lick broken glass! After that we can rob people at gunpoint in front of a security camera wearing shirts with our names on them. Yaaaay! Then lets all kick grizzly bears in the crotch before pouring battery acid in our ears!!!! You go first!
Troll.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
If that's true, then Dooley is a worse attorney than he is a football coach. When approached about the Brandon Warren issue, his first response was to deny that he had talked to Warren. He could have stated "no comment" or told the media that he wasn't going to comment on conversations with former or current players (which should be his response anyway). If he lied, then his decision was lazy and arrogant. If he forgot about it, then it begs the question of whether he is overwhelmed.
Personally, I don't think that there is any shame in being overwhelmed with the UT job...but I don't think that he actually forgot about the conversation.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
He totally has a bit of an ego and if you watch his recent press conference you see it come out with some force. He gets asked about the recent former player/practice fiasco and he loses it a bit. I think it's pretty obvious from that clip alone that 1) he is paying attention to the media and their coverage of him and 2) he is a control freak.
Of course, if he's a lying control freak that can beat Bama and Florida, then it won't matter, but right now he's giving the skeptics more reasons to be concerned.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
As an attorney, you never tell a client to lie. Further, the attorney is held to strict ethical guidelines to refrain from lying as well. If you want to avoid telling a truth that is confidential, you simply refuse to comment. But c'mon guys...Dooley isn't a client, he wasn't under oath, he is supposed to be a FOOTBALL COACH, not Perry Mason.
The "I don't remember" is definitely a legalish response to being called out, but his initial response (that he hadn't talked to Warren) was either an honest mistake or a complete lie. It can't be both.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
small pebbles rolling down hill start avalanches... i'm just saying
CroKev writes:
Man, now I see why a HC gets paid so much; They have to put up with nonsense like this drivel. I love UT football but, for the life of me, I cannot understand some of you yahoos whose reactions are so over the top on such triviality. Mr. Dooley, I certainly hope you don't waste your time reading GVX - I'm beginning to wonder if I'm wasting mine.
VOLINTN64 writes:
Its sad that all Hookers got is to stir the pot.The only orange he supports is that mop thats up on top.
CadmiumOchre (Inactive) writes:
SIGH! American society is so full of fault finding zeal, Jerry Springerism, Mauryists, and hypocrite perfectionists that all we do is sit back waiting for the slightest real or imagined wrong to hammer someone. It's a darn shame for a so-called Christian nation to waste it's time this way.
Dooley came in with a yoke around his neck and a 900 acre field to plow in a time interval called NOW. The wonder is the guy even remembered his own name. Plus I'm sure he knew Brandon sought to try to take advantage of this with an "You need me Attitude" and CDD had no time for that and dismissed him out of mind as well as from the UT return option. Too much else deserved priority attention at the time and still does. A proven trouble-maker doesn't help in this situation so out of sight out of mind.
I dare say with friends like some fans on this forum, Tennessee doesn't need enemies cause we got plenty right here even without the trolls. Maybe that's why trolls are here so much. We provide so much entertainment shoving the brush end of brooms up our own rear ends and having no clue of the harm we do ourselves makes it a hilarious sight for non-Vols. Perhaps one day, we'll figure this out and stop behaving this way. Sorry TRUE Vols fans, my disgust with some posts today got the better of me and made me tell it like it is.
kd45music writes:
We'll see in a few years, az-hole
kd45music writes:
I can't imagine Dooley not remembering meeting with Warren, but I also can't imagine any reason he would try to pretend he didn't. Either way, the fact that he didn't allow Warren back on the team is a good thing.
gbeejr#1354500 writes:
Who is BW?
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