Rick Barnes voices support for Tennessee AD Danny White after Tony Vitello departure

Danny White described his press conference Wednesday afternoon as an opportunity to offer facts over rumor. Any talk of Tony Vitello’s departure being about how money was being spent to support various Tennessee programs, White said, was false. 

In fact, Tennessee’s athletic director went as far as asking if the source of those rumor — that funds for Tennessee baseball had been redirected to Tennessee’s women’s basketball program — was in the room.

“Somebody had to make up something that’s not true for it to become a rumor, right?” White asked. “So I think we should all collectively apologize to Kim Caldwell and our basketball program because that’s factually incorrect. Never happened.”

Then White went down the list of numbers to support his claims. 

“We are supporting baseball, I think, at a higher level than anybody in America,” White said. 

Up Next: No. 17 Tennessee vs. No. 6 Duke, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Rick Barnes came to White’s defense Friday afternoon, when asked about Vitello leaving the Tennessee Baseball program to become the next manager of the San Francisco Giants. After saluting the job Vitello did at Tennessee, Barnes turned his attention to his athletic director and the rumors that circulated over the last week. 

“All this stuff that goes around,” Barnes said, “people try to break it down and diagnose what went on here. So many people read into things that aren’t there. I mean, the bottom line is he had a chance to leave the University of Tennessee and go to the San Francisco Giants. 

“And it’s not like he’s going to another university. That’d be something that I think you could talk about. But the fact is, I can tell you from my position, being here on this campus and the administration that we have here from Randy Boyd to Donde Plowman and to Danny White — it’s the best in the country. It’s not even close. I’ve never seen people aligned like they are.”

‘Danny has given every one of us what we need to compete at the highest level’

Barnes, entering his 11th season as Tennessee’s basketball coach, has worked under four different athletic directors during his time with the Vols.

He was hired by Dave Hart in 2015, then worked under John Currie and Phillip Fulmer before White was hired away from Central Florida in 2021.

“And I do know this,” Barnes continued, “Danny has given every one of us what we need to compete at the highest level to give us a chance to play for the national championships in our sport. And if he hasn’t done it, I can assure you he’s trying to do it.

“ … I did hear that people jumped on Danny about (Vitello leaving), I just know how hard he’s worked to try to put us where we need to be.”