Bruce Pearl, Tennessee's Head Basketball Coach, Suspended First Eight SEC Games

Bruce Pearl, head coach of the Tennessee men's basketball team, has been suspended for this season's first eight SEC games (half of their league schedule), SEC commissioner Mike Slive announced on Friday.

"The suspension from coaching duties has been imposed after a careful review of the facts established during the NCAA's investigation and reported to the SEC office," said Slive. "I am extremely disappointed in the nature of the violations involving Coach Pearl and the Tennessee men's basketball program."

The suspension is punishment for "inappropriate conduct" during recruiting and providing false and misleading information to the NCAA during the investigation. The school imposed sanctions on itself back in September, and Pearl apologized to the fans and his players. 

Pearl -- suspended from "team activities" which "include, but are not limited to practices, meetings, pre- and post-game activities and the game itself" -- will miss a stretch of Tennessee games beginning on Jan. 8, at Arkansas and concluding on Feb. 5, when the Volunteers host Alabama. Jan. 8, 2011 Tennessee at Arkansas.

• Jan. 11, 2011 Florida at Tennessee
• Jan. 15, 2011 Vanderbilt at Tennessee
• Jan. 18, 2011 Tennessee at Georgia
• Jan. 26, 2011 LSU at Tennessee
• Jan. 29, 2011 Tennessee at Ole Miss
• Feb. 3, 2011 Tennessee at Auburn
• Feb. 5, 2011 Alabama at Tennessee

Tennessee plays at Connecticut in the midst of that stretch, on Jan. 22, but Pearl will be allowed to coach, since it is an out-of-conference game. 

Tennessee, ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, is 3-0 this season. They play Virginia Commonwealth on Nov. 24, at Madison Square Garden. 

For plenty more on this, head over to Rocky Top Talk.