Jeremy Pruitt faces off vs. Tennessee football in NCAA hearing | Day 1 recap

CINCINNATI − Tennessee football, former coach Jeremy Pruitt and defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley are facing an NCAA Committee on Infractions panel in a hearing for their part in a high-profile recruiting scandal.

As the hearing began at 8:30 a.m., the song "Danger Zone" played loudly on the sound system just across the hall, where a leadership conference on "Coaching Excellence" was being held. It's a strange scene.

Day one finally ended after 10 hours, 22 minutes. Day two will begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Tennessee beat reporter Adam Sparks is providing live updates from the Westin Cincinnati hotel, the site of the hearing.

UT, Pruitt and possibly Ansley will be questioned about their involvement in 18 of the highest-level violations alleged to have been committed from 2018 to early 2021 during Pruitt's tenure. Ansley has not appeared in person, but an NCAA spokesperson said there is a Zoom option in the hearing room.

The university faces only one allegation, failure to monitor the football program, but it's an important one. UT claims that Jeremy Pruitt, wife Casey Pruitt and his coaching staff knew what they were doing was wrong and intentionally kept the university in the dark.

UT spent big bucks on high-priced attorneys in hopes of getting a return on its investment by receiving leniency from the NCAA.

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Expect Pruitt to deny knowledge of wrongdoing and perhaps seek help from his former assistant coaches, who have already agreed to show-cause penalties. He also could accuse UT of additional violations, which he previously threatened to do via a lawsuit that never materialized.

Here's the latest from the hearing:

Who is here and who is not

Jeremy Pruitt and wife Casey were among the first to arrive at the site of the hearing. Their legal team has a meeting room just down the hall from the hearing ballroom. Former defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley has not been seen at the hearing. But he could participate via Zoom call.

Chancellor Donde Plowman led the Tennessee contingent into the hearing room from the meeting room of their legal team. Current athletics director Danny White, former athletics director Phillip Fulmer and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey were among several in the UT group.

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None of the four parties who accepted show-cause penalties have appeared, including former UT inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer, outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton, director of player personnel Drew Hughes and student assistant Michael Magness.

Play-by-play of hearing

One-by-one, parties exited the elevator on the third floor of the Westin hotel. The hearing is being held in a Taft Ballroom.

7:12 a.m.: NCAA staff began showing up at the ballroom, where the NCAA hearing is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.

7:17 a.m.: Jeremy Pruitt and wife Casey arrived at the hearing location. They eventually were joined by Jeremy Pruitt's attorney, Henry Gimenez, from Birmingham-based firm Lightfoot, Franklin & White.

7:24 a.m.: Phillip Fulmer arrives at the hearing location.

7:27 a.m.: Tennessee general counsel Ryan Stinnett arrives and heads to a room reserved by Bond, Schoeneck & King, the firm representing UT as outside counsel.

7:29 a.m.: More Tennessee administrators arrive, including senior associate athletics director Jonathan Bowling. He was soon followed by deputy athletics director Cameron Walker.

7:41 a.m.: Phillip Fulmer's attorney, Jeff Hagood, arrives and begins talking to Fulmer and others outside the ballroom where the hearing will be held.

7:54 a.m.: UT chief of staff Matthew Scoggins arrives and joins the university's outside counsel.

8:01 a.m.: UT Chancellor Donde Plowman arrives. She came off the elevator and narrowly missed Pruitt, who was in the restroom next the elevator.

8:06 a.m.: UT athletics director Danny White arrives with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. They went straight the UT meeting room, where university administrators are preparing with outside counsel.

8:16 a.m.: The entire UT team headed into the conference room where the hearing will be held. That included Plowman, White, multiple administrators and attorneys.

8:30 a.m.: The hearing has begun. Former defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley has not been seen, meaning he likely will not attend. However, an NCAA spokesperson said there is a Zoom option in the hearing room.

10:45 a.m.: Hearing took a short break. That could suggest that the NCAA enforcement staff finished its oral argument. It could also mean that some panelists needed a bathroom break. After all, they run this show.

1:10 p.m.: The hearing broke for lunch. Phillip Fulmer left the hearing first. Then Donde Plowman, Danny White, Greg Sankey and others. Jeremy and Casey Pruitt exited the hearing room in the opposite direction of UT administrators. Their attorneys have a conference room away from the main lobby, which allows the Pruitts to take a hallway behind the hearing room.

Around 1:40: Funny moment during lunch break. Tennessee had a lunch spread outside its meeting room. A random guy walked by and stole a bite. Then his wife circled back and grabbed a cookie. Since no one stopped them, the whole group camped out over the food and ate what they wanted.

3:54 p.m.: Hearing took another break. Athletics director Danny White was all smiles when he exited the hearing room. It's understandable that he'd be less tense than the other parties because he was hired after the alleged violations. He'll only have to deal with the outcome.

5:20 p.m.: Hearing took a short break, supposedly the final one of the day. The hearing is approaching nine hours on day one.

6:52 p.m.: That's a wrap. Day one of the hearing finally ends after 10 hours, 22 minutes.

7:27 p.m.: Tennessee finishes its post-hearing huddle. It appears that Pruitt's team is still meeting. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and UT general counsel Ryan Stinnett hang back for a conversation.

7:33 p.m.: Jeremy and Casey Pruitt leave their conference room. They get into an elevator with Sankey and have small talk.

Why is SEC commissioner Greg Sankey here?

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey arrived with UT athletics director Danny White, and they headed directly to the meeting room where UT administrators game-planned with their legal team.

It was a mild surprise that Sankey appeared. But it could be viewed as a show of force on the part of the SEC and UT.

After all, Sankey was the co-chair of the NCAA transformational committee. That group restructured NCAA enforcement to emphasize head coach accountability for violations and move away from punishing current players for wrongdoing of past players and coaches.

A Twitter List by AdamSparks

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.  

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee football updates from NCAA infractions hearing