With all the turmoil that has gone on for Bruce Pearl over the last couple of months, one "X factor" that has been brought up in virtually every article on the subject was the coach's contract with Tennessee. Over and over we read that because of the clause in the contract that required a "serious" violation for termination, Pearl would likely be safe and able to withstand the NCAA storm. Well it turns out that all of those media reports were..well wrong. WBIR in Knoxville is reporting tonight that
Bruce Pearl is currently working without a contract at Tennessee. His first contract was voided, likely do to a "fraud" clause that would have made it no longer in effect. Pearl and UT are now negotiating a new deal, but at this point, there is no agreement between them.
We have been down this road before....when Billy Clyde went without a contract, the problems quickly arose. Whether there is a "Memorandum of Understanding" or an unpaid Merrick Inn tab in Bruce Pearl's case is still unclear. But for now, the path to get Pearl out at UT if things start to get difficult...well we found out it was much easier than we previously imagined.
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