Bruce Pearl Fired As Tennessee Basketball Coach, According To Reports

Bruce Pearl has been fired as head coach of Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball, according to a Monday afternoon report by WNML-FM’s Jimmy Hyams, which was shortly afterward confirmed by CBS’ Gary Parrish and Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman. Pearl was expected to meet with athletic director Mike Hamilton earlier in the day, at which point his future with the program would be settled upon.

According to Goodman, Pearl “received compensation as a part of the buyout agreement.” How could a coach with no contract receive a buyout, you ask? One popular theory, which surfaced on VolQuest.com, purported that Pearl would receive $2 million in exchange for accepting the NCAA’s charges against him.

Such an arrangement would allow the NCAA to deliver a speedy decision on any possible sanctions, permit the program to move on and hire a new coach with full awareness of the program’s standing, and put some nice paper in Pearl’s pocket in exchange for taking full responsibility.

More to come on Pearl’s reported firing as more makes its way public.

For now (and for always!), visit Rocky Top Talk for the latest on Vols sports.