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Honeymoon is over for Pruitt. More issues looming...

Bankwalker

A fairly significant percentage of the people on VN have already started to turn on him after yesterdays fiasco, and now a new potential real doozie crept up on them yesterday afternoon. Check out the thread on late offer and signee Joseph Norwood of Brainerd. Didnt play his jr year after transferring from Ooltewah. That much is confirmed. The rest is...well...

Advance to page 9 of his thread and start reading. Initial excitement and then the clouds move in.

http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-vols-recruiting/289515-18-tn-ath-joseph-norwood-tennessee-signee.html

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Dakota_Nester

Just from doing some reading, apparently the kid was a"minor" admit guilty to aggravated assault as a juvenile, and had his record sealed? Not defending Pruitt, but if publicly the kids name was never mentioned as being directly associated, I could see it being overlooked in the heat of recruiting. With that being said, second chances or no, I would not want him anywhere near my program, especially with as much Title IV fiasco Tennessee has been involved in.

As for Pruitt, I feel like he'll be a Muschamp at Florida. Good defense, not enough time to turn the program around, hop on a year as a DC and return to a mid major, or less expectation power 5 school.

Bankwalker

@levander said:
Is there at least some work the kid has done with a psychologist Pruitt can point ......

I'm willing to wager against that one. Pruitt made the offer so quickly that they really didnt have time to do any vetting whatsoever. Had they known about this then you would have to think it would be a straight pass for a school like UT. You have a victim and his family out there who are still suffering. I have to think if they could find out about it as a coaching staff that others would as well. Hell, some competing universities might be willing to let the info slip.

UT only initiated contact under Pruitt very recently. He had been on campus under Jones, but if you believe the reports then Pruitt only made contact in the last week. They decided to make an offer the day before signing day after watching him work out via a facetime link where they asked him to dunk a basketball to show his athleticism. I thinkPruitt knew very little.

JRT812

@Dakota_Nester said:
Just from doing some reading, apparently the kid was a"minor" admit guilty to aggravated assault as a juvenile, and had his record sealed? Not defending Pruitt, but if publicly the kids name was never mentioned as being directly associated, I could see it being overlooked in the heat of recruiting. With that being said, second chances or no, I would not want him anywhere near my program, especially with as much Title IV fiasco Tennessee has been involved in.

As for Pruitt, I feel like he'll be a Muschamp at Florida. Good defense, not enough time to turn the program around, hop on a year as a DC and return to a mid major, or less expectation power 5 school.

Pretty sure coaches do their research on recruits. Could be wrong, but not hard to find stuff on the young man using a simple google search

JRT812

@Bankwalker said:
This is not an effort to defend the kid. Just an observation with which anyone can agree or disagree. Check out the kid's twitter page, and watch his interview. I have no clue what happened, but on social media he appears to be a well-behaved kid who has been very gracious on social media to every school which hosted or visited with him. He uses proper language, and has a 3.2 gpa. The give away was during his interview after signing.. He said, "I've worked hard. I deserve this." That's not what you ever hear a kid say about a scholarship offer. Just the way he said it, too. You can hear his self-doubt, like he's trying to say, "Ive paid my price and tried hard to be a good person. I deserve a 2nd chance."

I wish I hadn't posted on this, honestly. It is not my place to pass judgement on him. Obviously feel for the victim of such a heinous crime, too. Sometimes so called "hazings" get carried away with multiple people when only one person is malicious and the others involved think they are just messing around with someone. Like I said, I have no clue what happened, or even if he was actually involved but he does not come across as a sick little deviant at all.

Glad it's UT's issue to work out and not UGA's.

Calling it a heinous crime, but have no idea what happened? Holding down a boy as a pool cue is forced into him causing emergency surgery is past the line of hazing. I can’t fathom how any of the four boys who were found guilty saw this as just “messing around” or “hazing” I guess that could be the difference between a predator and a normal upstanding citizen. Maybe hazing has changed over the years. I’m sure he regrets that weekend in Gatlinburg, but I hope the victim has a second chance at life well before this recruit.

CoachRob16

@JRT812 said:

@CoachRob16 said:
Amazing how quickly some will change their toon when they find out something.

I would not be happy if my coach was signing a recruit found guilty of raping four high school freshmen with a pool cue. Left one young man hospitalized and requiring emergency surgery. Being from Ooltewah... it was weird to hear about it happening at the high school.

Oh I agree. I was saying how quickly some of the UT fans went from one end of the spectrum to the other. I don't condone one bit even trying to sign this kid.

Bankwalker

@JRT812 said:

@Bankwalker said:
This is not an effort to defend the kid. Just an observation with which anyone can agree or disagree. Check out the kid's twitter page, and watch his interview. I have no clue what happened, but on social media he appears to be a well-behaved kid who has been very gracious on social media to every school which hosted or visited with him. He uses proper language, and has a 3.2 gpa. The give away was during his interview after signing.. He said, "I've worked hard. I deserve this." That's not what you ever hear a kid say about a scholarship offer. Just the way he said it, too. You can hear his self-doubt, like he's trying to say, "Ive paid my price and tried hard to be a good person. I deserve a 2nd chance."

I wish I hadn't posted on this, honestly. It is not my place to pass judgement on him. Obviously feel for the victim of such a heinous crime, too. Sometimes so called "hazings" get carried away with multiple people when only one person is malicious and the others involved think they are just messing around with someone. Like I said, I have no clue what happened, or even if he was actually involved but he does not come across as a sick little deviant at all.

Glad it's UT's issue to work out and not UGA's.

Calling it a heinous crime, but have no idea what happened? Holding down a boy as a pool cue is forced into him causing emergency surgery is past the line of hazing. I can’t fathom how any of the four boys who were found guilty saw this as just “messing around” or “hazing” I guess that could be the difference between a predator and a normal upstanding citizen. Maybe hazing has changed over the years. I’m sure he regrets that weekend in Gatlinburg, but I hope the victim has a second chance at life well before this recruit.

I was guilty of crime once just by being there. Some vandalism occurred and property destroyed. 16 years old. The solicitor suggested I read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote to understand how people get caught up in crimes they never intended. Clearly a heainous crime occurred. I was just stating the obvious...we dont know the degree to which each participated, or what they thought was going to happen before what happened actually happened. Not a defense for anyone. Just saying that not everyone convicted of murder is a cold blooded killer.

britishdawg

I think the rumors around how Pruitt reacted to Quay Walker sum up one of his biggest issues. His temper. If it's true that he either hung up on Quay or screamed at him just because the guys wanted to go to a different school, then that's a problem.

Does anyone here remember when Kirby missed on EJ Price in 2016? Lots of people started saying that he has character issues and started spreading rumors. Kirby sent him a really great message supporting him. Even after being spurned by an offensive tackle that our team DESPERATELY needed, he still stood up for the guy and told him to come visit whenever he was in state.

Head coaches have got to have players backs at the end of the day. If the Walker rumor is true, there isn't a bigger contrast between Pruitt and Smart than that one.

Teddy

@Bankwalker said:

@levander said:
Is there at least some work the kid has done with a psychologist Pruitt can point ......

I'm willing to wager against that one. Pruitt made the offer so quickly that they really didnt have time to do any vetting whatsoever. Had they known about this then you would have to think it would be a straight pass for a school like UT. You have a victim and his family out there who are still suffering. I have to think if they could find out about it as a coaching staff that others would as well. Hell, some competing universities might be willing to let the info slip.

UT only initiated contact under Pruitt very recently. He had been on campus under Jones, but if you believe the reports then Pruitt only made contact in the last week. They decided to make an offer the day before signing day after watching him work out via a facetime link where they asked him to dunk a basketball to show his athleticism. I thinkPruitt knew very little.

Pruitt probably didn't have long to evaluate, just threw an offer out there because every other top recruit told UT no thanks (minus Peterson), and threw their hat across the gym.

JRT812

I understand and just a response.

JRT812

@Bankwalker said:

@JRT812 said:

@Bankwalker said:
This is not an effort to defend the kid. Just an observation with which anyone can agree or disagree. Check out the kid's twitter page, and watch his interview. I have no clue what happened, but on social media he appears to be a well-behaved kid who has been very gracious on social media to every school which hosted or visited with him. He uses proper language, and has a 3.2 gpa. The give away was during his interview after signing.. He said, "I've worked hard. I deserve this." That's not what you ever hear a kid say about a scholarship offer. Just the way he said it, too. You can hear his self-doubt, like he's trying to say, "Ive paid my price and tried hard to be a good person. I deserve a 2nd chance."

I wish I hadn't posted on this, honestly. It is not my place to pass judgement on him. Obviously feel for the victim of such a heinous crime, too. Sometimes so called "hazings" get carried away with multiple people when only one person is malicious and the others involved think they are just messing around with someone. Like I said, I have no clue what happened, or even if he was actually involved but he does not come across as a sick little deviant at all.

Glad it's UT's issue to work out and not UGA's.

Calling it a heinous crime, but have no idea what happened? Holding down a boy as a pool cue is forced into him causing emergency surgery is past the line of hazing. I can’t fathom how any of the four boys who were found guilty saw this as just “messing around” or “hazing” I guess that could be the difference between a predator and a normal upstanding citizen. Maybe hazing has changed over the years. I’m sure he regrets that weekend in Gatlinburg, but I hope the victim has a second chance at life well before this recruit.

I was guilty of crime once just by being there. Some vandalism occurred and property destroyed. 16 years old. The solicitor suggested I read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote to understand how people get caught up in crimes they never intended. Clearly a heainous crime occurred. I was just stating the obvious...we dont know the degree to which each participated, or what they thought was going to happen before what happened actually happened. Not a defense for anyone. Just saying that not everyone convicted of murder is a cold blooded killer.

I understand and just a response.

pgjackson

@dawgwood82 said:
I was living in Chattanooga when this happened. The bullsheet was dubbed as hazing.
I played football in high school, went to the U.S. Army afterwards, then got into the construction trades after that so I've had and done more than my fair share of hazing. Never ever, not once, did the thought of sodomizing some dude with anything come to mind.
If UGA pulled in this kid I would be highly upset. I don't care how you spin it, if he took part in it he's a rapist, if he was around the act and didn't try to stop it then he's a coward. People can feel however they want but if this was my kid I would have probably beaten him to a state of mental incapacity before he got the chance to be recruited. That's Vol nation though, **** glad I'm a Dawg!!

Agree 100%. I played varsity football as a freshman in HS (and believe me I was subjected to substantial hazing by the upperclassmen on a daily basis that first year), joined a fraternity in college (again, there was a certain amount of hazing involved there)....after graduation joined the Marines and spent 20 years being subjected to what most people would consider brutal conditions...but NEVER did any of this ever involve anything even remotely close to what this kid admitted to. There's a big difference between getting stuffed into a locker or scrubbing a toilet with your bare hands and raping someone with a broom. That is just sick.

dawgwood82

@pgjackson said:

@dawgwood82 said:
I was living in Chattanooga when this happened. The bullsheet was dubbed as hazing.
I played football in high school, went to the U.S. Army afterwards, then got into the construction trades after that so I've had and done more than my fair share of hazing. Never ever, not once, did the thought of sodomizing some dude with anything come to mind.
If UGA pulled in this kid I would be highly upset. I don't care how you spin it, if he took part in it he's a rapist, if he was around the act and didn't try to stop it then he's a coward. People can feel however they want but if this was my kid I would have probably beaten him to a state of mental incapacity before he got the chance to be recruited. That's Vol nation though, **** glad I'm a Dawg!!

Agree 100%. I played varsity football as a freshman in HS (and believe me I was subjected to substantial hazing by the upperclassmen on a daily basis that first year), joined a fraternity in college (again, there was a certain amount of hazing involved there)....after graduation joined the Marines and spent 20 years being subjected to what most people would consider brutal conditions...but NEVER did any of this ever involve anything even remotely close to what this kid admitted to. There's a big difference between getting stuffed into a locker or scrubbing a toilet with your bare hands and raping someone with a broom. That is just sick.

Yes sir, you're absolutely right. I've had some brutal **** done to me and passed it right down the line but nothing even close to pool cue rape

andrews1253

wish Pruitt good fortune but man he walked into a bon fire!

ghostofuga1

Back in my day, 'hazing' was pulling the freshmen's gym shorts down during co-ed gym class. Seems to have escalated somewhat.

pgjackson

@ghostofuga1 said:
Back in my day, 'hazing' was pulling the freshmen's gym shorts down during co-ed gym class. Seems to have escalated somewhat.

Yep. The military has really cracked down on hazing as well. A lot of old timers thought it was pussifying the service, but the problem is some people always take things too far. "Pinning" used to be a big deal. When someone got promoted or got their jump wings or something the tradition was to smack them on. Devices are typically metal with sharp spikes on the back. Then that turned into the video of the idiots in Ft. Benning pinning them on by punching them in as hard as they can. Some guys got pretty serious injuries. I've heard of people getting them stuck into bone. It's always idiots and psychopaths who take things too far and end up hurting someone.