KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (courtesy of WVLT) – Former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt filed a lawsuit against the NCAA.

The lawsuit claimed Pruitt was treated unfairly and the NCAA investigation lead to career-ending penalties.

It also claimed the NCAA worked with the university to make him the scapegoat.

“The NCAA conspired with the University of Tennessee (”UT”) and others to make Jeremy the sacrificial lamb for conduct that long preceded his tenure at UT,” the lawsuit stated.

Pruitt claimed players were already being paid when he started and that he reported the payments to then athletic director Phillip Fulmer.

“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. The Athletic Director told Pruitt that ‘he would handle it’ and deal with the University’s Compliance Department, which was charged with ensuring the the University of Tennessee was complying with NCAA rules.”

Pruitt believed the university hid the player’s payments from him because they knew he would turn them in, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed the NCAA panel intentionally made it harder for Pruitt to prove his innocence all because they were more concerned about the money instead of following proper procedure.

Pruitt was fired back in 2021 and given a coaching probation of six years after numerous coaching violations.

Pruitt claimed the NCAA protected the university by making its decision. UT had to pay the NCAA money that would have gone to his severance obligation.

He is suing for multiple counts including negligence, conspiracy and bad faith.

The suit asked for $100 million in lost wages.

The university responded to the lawsuit saying, “The university is confident in the actions taken in the Pruitt case. We will continue to prioritize our student-athletes and winning with integrity.”