According to multiple reports, Tennessee has decided to fire athletic director John Currie.
Currie was back in Knoxville in Friday to meet with University of Tennessee Chancellor Beverly Davenport as was first reported by ESPN and FOX Sports. That meeting was scheduled for 9:00 AM Eastern, and then reports began filtering out not even an hour later that Currie had either been stripped of his powers or fired.
According to Chynna Greene of WVLT in Knoxville, Currie has been fired.
#BREAKING: According to sources, UTAD John Currie has been fired after only 8 months on the job
— Chynna Greene (@ChynnaGreene) December 1, 2017
According to Trey Wallace of The Read Optional, Currie hasn’t been fired as of yet, but he’s at least been stripped of some of his powers as athletic director.
Again, I am not reporting John Currie has been fired right now, I’ve been told by sources that Currie has had some of his powers removed. #Tennessee https://t.co/kxiTedXkgn
— Trey Wallace (@TreyW_Radio) December 1, 2017
Currie was hired as Tennessee’s AD back in late February of 2017. If reports are true, he will have been fired after only eight months on the job as UT’s athletic director.
Tennessee has been in the middle of a search for a head coach for nearly three weeks. Currie wanted to hire Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano this past Sunday, but Vol fans, politicians, and boosters rejected that hire. Since then, the Vols have courted David Cutcliffe, Mike Gundy, Jeff Brohm, and Dave Doeren to no avail. Currie met with Mike Leach on Thursday, but no deal is imminent there either.
UPDATE: According to long-time college football writer Brett McMurphy, former Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer has been “sabotaging” the search for a head coach behind Currie’s back.
Sources: John Currie was prepared to hire Mike Leach but university officials wouldn’t allow him to do so. Phillip Fulmer has been sabotaging search process in hopes to become Tennessee’s AD
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 1, 2017
Another source: Tennessee’s own people have been ambushing (John) Currie’s (coaching search). They shoot themselves in the foot, cock the gun & shoot themselves in the other foot. It’s been going on for a week”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 1, 2017
We will have more on this story as it develops.
One Response
If Currie would have stuck to the criteria that he started with
SEC experience, championship history, then he probably would still be working. His ego and lack of experience cost him the
chance of a lifetime. GO BIG ? VFL