Many see Bruce Pearl as the well rounded, successful men's basketball coach for the University of Tennessee, but recent news has shown a different side. Pearl led the Volunteers to their first number one ranking in 2008 and first NCAA tournament regional finals appearance in 2010, but due to culminating transgressions off the court, he was officially let go from his six seasons with the Volunteers. Pearl was charged by the NCAA with unethical conduct. The athletic director for Tennessee, Mike Hamilton helped make the decision to stay with Pearl and his staff upon receiving an NCAA letter of inquiry in September regarding issues with Pearl. Hamilton now states, "the cumulative effect of the evolution of the investigation combined with a number of more recent non-NCAA-related incidents have led to a belief that this staff cannot be viable at Tennessee in the future." Although Pearl is a well respected NCAA coach, they all learn the rules before entering this career and they should all have the rules tattooed in their brain as time progresses. For Pearl, unfortunately, the idea of rules faded and the consequences that coincide with his actions are now surfacing. Hopefully this will be an eye opener to any other coaches thinking about breaking the rules or attempting to pursue their career with unethical intentions. Sports is supposed to be fun and entertaining, and it will remain so as long as these guidelines written and enforced by the NCAA stay in stone.
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