How Derrick Ansley blamed Jeremy Pruitt for Tennessee NCAA violations, recruiting visits
Derrick Ansley declared the sweeping recruiting shenanigans in the Tennessee football program "were caused and overseen by" ex-coach Jeremy Pruitt and other staff members in his response to the NCAA notice of allegations.
That was part of Ansley's defense submitted on behalf of the former Vols defensive coordinator by his Phoenix-based lawyer Gregg E. Clifton, who detailed Ansley's innocence in a 23-page response to the 51-page notice of allegations and described Ansley as a bystander, not a co-conspirator.
"It is Mr. Ansley's position that his name has been improperly joined with these other Tennessee football program employees who were violators of the NCAA Bylaws and the COVD shutdown rules," wrote Clifton in the Nov. 21, 2022 documents obtained by Knox News via an open records request.
Ansley received a two-year show-cause order Friday in the verdict of the yearslong NCAA infractions case that found more than 200 violations of NCAA rules by at least a dozen staff members that went unreported in a two-year period.
Four show-cause orders were handed out Friday bringing the count to eight show-cause orders totaling 39 years, including Pruitt's six-year show-cause.
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Derrick Ansley blamed Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee football staff for violations
Ansley, now the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator, did not deny that violations were committed during his tenure at Tennessee. Via Clifton, he declared that allegations against him in the NOA were not supported by facts and, if they were, "are improperly overstated and drastically exceed the proper level of the alleged violations."
Ansley asserted that the violations that occurred at Tennessee under Pruitt's reign were the fault of the head coach and staff members "who did not respect or honor NCAA Bylaws and the mandatory expectations of compliance or the limitations created by the NCAA's ordered COVID shutdown." If Ansley was found guilty of any violations or aggravating factors, the infractions should be deemed Level II violations not Level I.
Tennessee was accused of committing 18 Level I violations in the NOA, which led to Friday's ruling of a five-year probationary period but no postseason ban. Ansley was named among three of the 200-plus violations counted within the 18 categories.
"The NOA attempts to lump him with other Tennessee coaches and athletic personnel who have already acknowledged and admitted to numerous extreme violative acts," Clifton wrote.
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What was Derrick Ansley accused of doing?
In the NOA, which UT received in July, Ansley was accused of violating the COVID-19 recruiting dead period in two different manners and coercing a recruiting staff member into handling an unofficial visit as an official visit.
In allegation 1(a)5, Ansley was charged with meeting the high school coach of a recruit at Pruitt's house during the dead period. The high school coach was a teammate of Ansley and ex-Vols assistant coach Shelton Felton at Troy, NCAA findings released Friday indicated. Ansley admitted in his NCAA interview that he spoke to the coach for maybe two minutes.
In allegation 1(c), Ansley was accused of planning and arranging an August recruiting visit during the dead period. The visit included $544 of impermissible benefits. NCAA findings Friday noted between Aug. 17-30, 2020, that Ansley made at least 24 calls with the prospect's high school coach and five calls with the prospect's parents. That included phone calls during the visit from Aug. 22-23. Texts between director of recruiting Bethany Gunn and assistant director of recruiting Taylar Hooker suggested Ansley provided direction for aspects of the visit.
In allegation 8(i), Ansley was said to have instructed Gunn to treat an unofficial visit as an official visit.
What was Derrick Ansley's defense to the NCAA?
Through Clifton, Ansley refuted the alleged violations. He noted a sterling rule-abiding reputation over 15 years as a coach and during his playing career at Troy. Clifton used this as an argument to attempt to lessen any consequence.
Tennessee was accused of hosting nine visit weekends during the COVID recruiting dead period. Ansley disputed the two violations against him, which the NCAA findings Friday stated were the only two aspects of the conduct to be disputed.
In regards to allegation 1(a)5, Ansley claimed he did not how the gathering was organized and said he was invited by Pruitt. He believed either Pruitt or assistant coach Brian Niedermeyer had communicated with UT compliance about the event. "I think they did check with compliance to make sure it was legal because he was a high school coach," Ansley told the NCAA in his Jan. 14, 2021, interview.
Ansley's response stated that allegation 1(c) was "devoid of any support." He said the recruit had narrowed his choices to UT, Georgia and Auburn and wanted to visit Knoxville, which he believed was on the recruit's own accord. He placed the blame on Gunn and the recruiting staff for the planning and arranging of the visit and itinerary. In his NCAA interview, Ansley told investigators he did not instruct Gunn to do anything and suggested she either ignored rules unilaterally or was instructed to do so by other individuals. His defense pointed to text messages between Gunn and Hooker that mentioned Ansley but did not include him directly nor indicate he had involvement or knowledge of the itinerary. It also claimed Ansley told Gunn that her actions would be impermissible if she did make an itinerary for an unofficial visit.
Ansley's third alleged violation is based on a text predating the recruiting dead period.
Ansley argued that his text requesting Gunn treat an unofficial visit as an official visit was "coach speak" that should have been understood by Gunn. His intent, which he said he never was given a chance to explain during his interview, was that the unofficial visit be maximized and not to violate NCAA rules. The defense acknowledged the text "may be viewed as problematic."
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Derrick Ansley blamed Jeremy Pruitt for Tennessee NCAA violations
