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What a mess.
Early on in the day on Sunday, it was reported that the Tennessee Volunteers were zeroing in on Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. Yes, that Greg Schiano. You know, the Schiano who flopped in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The one who coached the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and brought them up from obscurity to national prominence. That guy was set to be the hire to fill the Volunteers’ head coaching vacancy.
It was around that time that Vol fans, especially ones on Twitter, began to cause a gigantic stir. Gigantic might even be putting it mildly. A lot of it had to do with the fact that Schiano’s stretch as a head coach may not have gone so dang well. A lot of it also had to do because he was in the crosshairs of the repugnant Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
All hell broke loose, eventually. The press secretary of the United States commented on the matter, stating her case among the anti-Schiano crowd.
I assumed the Sarah Huckabee Sanders Facebook post on Greg Schiano was fake. Well … it sure looks real.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 26, 2017
Wow.https://t.co/uNi5uAq4Ej
If that wasn’t enough, how about Knox County mayor Glenn Jacobs chiming in?
You know, Glenn Jacobs. The pro wrestler. KANE. KANE CHIMED IN ON THE MATTER!
Too many well-founded concerns about Schiano from our community. Hiring would be very unpopular and hurt UT. Please rethink, @John_Currie
— Glenn Jacobs (@GlennJacobsTN) November 26, 2017
GBO!
It wasn’t just city-elected officials or government employees in general who showed their lack of satisfaction, either. Students took to the streets of campus to protest the hire that seemed to be on the cusp of occurring. Some protests were more boisterous and blunt than others.
UT students weighing in on the situation. https://t.co/sQUGcO5Lzz
— Orange & White Report (@OandWReport) November 26, 2017
In the end, there seemed to be no other way that this could go. And sure enough, the deal between Schiano and Tennessee wound up falling through.
Report: Tennessee will not hire Greg Schiano after backlash from fans https://t.co/Hj8QngsbfS
— RockyTopTalk (@RockyTopTalk) November 27, 2017
There is, but, one major issue here though. The word on the street is that Schiano and Tennessee ACTUALLY AGREED ON A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING that he would become the next head coach for the Volunteers. And THEN, the Vols said, “Nah uh, we’re not doing this.”
Am told UT & Greg Schiano had a understanding of terms & now Schiano’s side is seeking compensation for breaking the agreement off. Wow https://t.co/ppxU2CWIrn
— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) November 27, 2017
So, now Schiano and his lawyers, who are likely to have a field day here, are seeking compensation after the MOU was broken by John Currie and the Vols administration.
We’ve seen quite a lot in the #SillySeason over the years. But this takes the freaking cake.