Jeremy Pruitt, the former head football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, knocked the NCAA with a lawsuit Wednesday claiming lost wages that total $100 million.
He’s also making the allegation that the entity “conspired with Tennessee” in an attempt to position him as a “sacrificial lamb” following a launched investigation into improper payments that sparked up him losing his job. (RELATED: Stanford Football Fires Head Coach Troy Taylor After He Allegedly Bullied Female Staffers)
Filed in Dekalb County, Alabama, the lawsuit alleges that the University of Tennessee was paying student-athletes prior to him being hired as head coach of the Volunteers. He also claims the reasons why he was fired are now viewed as legal to the NCAA.
Pruitt alleges in the lawsuit that he spoke with athletic director Philip Fulmer and informed him that players were already paid, claiming that Fulmer would take care of the situation. Per OutKick, Pruitt claims in the lawsuit that after being handed his “show cause” penalty, the NCAA and Tennessee came up with an agreement where the university could pay a fine similar to the amount that Pruitt was owed in severance.
Former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt has sued the NCAA in DeKalb County, Alabama, claiming that the association “conspired with Tennessee” to make him the “sacrificial lamb” for rules violations resulting in his firing and a 6-year showcause.
He’s claiming $100M in lost wages. pic.twitter.com/H0b69vvAK5
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) March 27, 2025
“Less than one week after being hired, Pruitt discovered that payments were being made to some players. At the time, NCAA rules precluded those payments, even though court cases had already called into serious question whether such payments could be prohibited,” reads the complaint.
