Free Republic

It has not taken long for hostilities between new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin and Florida to heat up. While addressing the Volunteers’ 2009 recruiting class during an alumni breakfast on Thursday, Kiffin threw down the gauntlet, accusing Gators coach Urban Meyer of a recruiting violation. The comment resulted in the Southeastern Conference issuing Kiffin a public reprimand. “Coach Kiffin has violated the Southeastern Conference code of ethics,” commissioner Mike Slive said. “SEC Bylaw 10.5.1 clearly states that coaches and administrators shall refrain from directed public criticism of other member institutions, their staffs or players.” Kiffin charged that Meyer broke a...

TEREZIN, Czech Republic — Crews, Chism, Childress, Howell, Wild, Smith, Lofton, Pearl, Tabb. And then Schlama Rosenberg. My grandfather’s name was Hyman Rosenberg. Probably no relation to Schlama, but to see that name on a prison list, I had to wonder what crime she committed. I wondered what she had done that was so terrible that could have brought her to a place like this. For my players to be here, and for them to understand that maybe it could have been their family name on that list and to understand what happened and to make sure that it never...

Last week, the University of Tennessee announced that it was raising another coach's salary to over $1 million per year. That wouldn't be news, except this wasn't the head coach of the football team (Phillip Fulmer makes twice that much) or the men's basketball team (Bruce Pearl recently got a raise to $1.1 million). No, this was the coach of the women's basketball team. Granted, Pat Summit is hardly your ordinary women's basketball coach. In 32 years as head coach of the Lady Vols, Summit has won 913 games, six national championships, and has had the court at UT's Thompson-Boling...

Knoxville -- Peyton Manning returns to his alma mater this weekend for a ceremony to retire the No. 16 he wore at Tennessee. "I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a special honor for me. It's a nice tribute," he said this week. "This is probably one of the biggest honors, if not the biggest honor, that I've received." Manning is the most decorated athlete in school history, the Southeastern Conference's all-time leading passer and a high academic achiever. Last season he set a new NFL record with the Indianapolis Colts for touchdown passes with 49. He is...