How the mighty have fallen!

[uk9698]

Former Tennessee Coach Pearl Takes Job As VP For Knoxville Grocery Company

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl has taken a job with a Knoxville-based wholesale grocery company as a vice president of marketing.

Pearl had also been considering an offer to coach the Texas Legends of the NBA's developmental league but says in a statement released Tuesday that he feels Knoxville is home for him and his family.

He will begin working at H.T. Hackney on Thursday. The company is led by Chairman and CEO Bill Sansom, a former University of Tennessee trustee.

Pearl was fired from Tennessee in March in the wake of a two-year NCAA investigation that culminated Wednesday with a three-year show-cause penalty against the coach

[uk9698]

In all seriousness i doubt he will be doing much work at all, but I have to admit he was great at marketing the product of Tennessee basketball. A lot of Tennessee people still stand by this guy!

[The Bubba]

I would think he'll eventually get back into coaching but you never know. I for one hated seeing him leave Tennessee, he did a lot to revive the UK/UT rivalry. I'm sure there are several that are glad to see him get the shaft, as he has stepped on a few toes in the past and made a few enemies. The sad thing is, all he had to do was play by the rules and keep his nose clean and he probably could have stayed at UT until he retired.

[uk9698]

I will go one farther then that, i think Tennessee would have stood by even the rulebreaking, i think had he not BLATANTLY liked to the ncaa he may still have his job.

[The Bubba]

Sept 2, 2011 14:53:51 GMT -5 uk9698 said:

I will go one farther then that, i think Tennessee would have stood by even the rulebreaking, i think had he not BLATANTLY liked to the ncaa he may still have his job.

I agree with that wholeheartedly.