Why the narrative that Tennessee paid a player and still lost him to Georgia isn't totally correct
Opposing fan bases are enjoying throwing shade at the Tennessee Vols because the program allegedly paid a recruit and still lost him to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Knoxville News Sentinel's Adam Sparks reported this week that former Vols linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer paid Darnell Washington, a former five-star recruit, around $750 in cash. Sparks also […]
Opposing fan bases are enjoying throwing shade at the Tennessee Vols because the program allegedly paid a recruit and still lost him to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Knoxville News Sentinel's Adam Sparks reported this week that former Vols linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer paid Darnell Washington, a former five-star recruit, around $750 in cash. Sparks also reported that Tennessee provided Washington with nearly $2,000 in impermissible benefits via expenses that were paid by UT on unofficial visits.
The story has been framed by opposing fan bases as "Tennessee paid Washington and still couldn't get him".
That statement might be technically true, but anyone who follows college football closely knows that's not how the sport works.
$750 is never going to be enough cash to "buy" a five-star recruit. That's simply not something that happens. And the $2,000 in impermissible benefits via unofficial visits isn't exactly uncommon at major programs.
Sure, Tennessee technically broke the rules. But it's not like they threw a significant amount of cash at Washington to convince him to commit. They essentially did what any program has to do to even get in the mix for a top recruit (especially a program like Tennessee that was struggling at the time).
And I'm not about to accuse Georgia of paying Washington or breaking any rules, but I'm sure readers can reach their own conclusions.
Again, this whole recruiting scandal at Tennessee has been ridiculously overblown. The violations, in reality, add up to a small amount of money in comparison to the type of revenue that's generated by the sport on a weekly basis each fall.
College football expert makes strong statement about Tennessee vs Georgia
A notable college football expert made a strong statement about the Tennessee Vols vs the Georgia Bulldogs
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
