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2 days after scary injury, Tennessee dismisses DT Danny O'Brien

Sam Cooper
College football writer
Tennessee defensive lineman Danny O'Brien was carted off the field Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tennessee defensive lineman Danny O’Brien was carted off the field Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Two days after he was carted off the field at Texas A&M, Tennessee defensive tackle Danny O’Brien has been dismissed from the program.

Tennessee said in a brief release that O’Brien’s dismissal stems from a violation of team rules.

“This news is unrelated to the injury he suffered against Texas A&M. However, should he require any additional care, it will be provided by the University of Tennessee,” the release said.

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O’Brien, a senior, was injured in the fourth quarter Saturday following a helmet-to-helmet hit. He was immobilized and carted off the field and out of the stadium. After being briefly hospitalized, O’Brien was allowed to return home to Tennessee with the team after the game, which the Vols lost in double overtime.

Earlier Monday, Vols coach Butch Jones was asked about O’Brien’s injury.

“Those are one of those moments in time when you’re on the field you never want to be a part of,” Jones said according to the Knoxville News. “Everything is racing through your mind, but the big thing you want to do is you want to be there for him and you want to be there for his family. I thought our training staff took all the precautionary elements that needed to be done. Texas A&M officials handled it exceptionally well.

The 6-foot-2, 301-pound O’Brien is a starter for the Vols who has played in 42 games in his career, including 19 starts. Before his dismissal, he totaled 63 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Per VolQuest.com, O’Brien was suspended in 2015 for two games for violating team rules and also was arrested in 2014 for “underage consumption, resisting arrest and criminal impersonation.”

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Tennessee dropped to 5-1 with the loss in College Station Saturday. Next on the schedule is a home game against No. 1 Alabama.

For more Tennessee news, visit VolQuest.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!