Why Casey Pruitt is not at Day 2 of husband Jeremy Pruitt’s NCAA hearing

CINCINNATI – Former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt arrived bright and early for Day 2 of his NCAA infractions hearing.

Notably, he was alone.

His wife, Casey Pruitt, attended Day 1 of the hearing at the Cincinnati Westin. She has not appeared here on Day 2, or at least not in the common areas like all other parties in the case.

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The hearing is closed to the public and media. But anyone with access to the hearing room must check in with an NCAA staff member and get a wristband. It’s hard to slip into the hearing undetected.

So why isn’t Casey Pruitt here? There’s actually a good reason.

Sure, she was implicated in two of the 18 highest-level violations being probed at this hearing. The NCAA enforcement staff alleged that she paid for cars and rent for recruits, players and their families.

But both of those allegations were likely covered on Day 1.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions panel can delve into any violation it chooses at any time. But the general approach is to go through each violation numerically, from No. 1 to No. 18.

In the NCAA notice of allegations, Casey Pruitt was named in Nos. 1 and 3. So it’s reasonable to believe that she appeared on Day 1 to defend herself and answer questions and that she isn’t needed on Day 2.

How Casey Pruitt’s involvement compares to her husband

Casey Pruitt’s involvement in this case has gained a lot of attention for good reasons.

It’s rare that a coach’s wife is accused of committing NCAA recruiting violations. And she worked in NCAA compliance at Troy, Oklahoma and Florida State from 2009-13 before marrying Jeremy.

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But Jeremy Pruitt is more prevalent in this case.

Casey Pruitt’s name appeared four times in the NCAA’s 51-page notice of allegations. UT provided more details, identifying her 38 times in its 108-page response to the NCAA.

Jeremy Pruitt’s name appeared 195 times in UT’s response.

“(Jeremy) Pruitt was directly involved in serious violations … including violations committed by his wife (Casey) Pruitt carried out at their home in Knoxville,” UT said in its report, released in November.

In fairness, the Pruitts’ side of the story hasn’t been told publicly.

UT declined a public records request by Knox News to see Jeremy Pruitt’s response to the NCAA. It cited Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Tennessee Code bylaws that deal with confidentiality of intercollegiate athletics programs.

Here’s what Tennessee, NCAA says Casey Pruitt did

Casey Pruitt undoubtedly faced some tough questions from the infractions panel during her appearance. And the NCAA enforcement staff likely referenced her involvement in its oral arguments on violations No. 1 and No. 3.

The NCAA alleged wrongdoing by Casey Pruitt in its initial investigation. UT provided more details in its response.

According to UT’s report, in 2018, Jeremy and Casey Pruitt paid $6,000 to a recruit’s mother for a down payment on a 2017 Nissan Armada. He promised the payment during a recruiting visit in fall 2018 and paid the $6,000 on Dec. 26, 2018.

The recruit enrolled at UT to play football. And from Jan. 28, 2019, to March 26, 2021, the Pruitts paid 25 monthly payments of $500 for the car.

The player’s mother told investigators that she received the money from Casey or the Pruitts’ babysitter at the Pruitts’ home. Also, Casey occasionally delivered the money to her residence.

In a separate incident, a player’s mother told investigators that Casey Pruitt paid her $1,600 cash for a security deposit on a Knoxville rental home and also arranged for assistant coach Brian Niedermeyer to deliver a second payment of $1,600 because she was out of town.

People with redacted names provided documentation to support their account. According to UT’s report, Casey Pruitt told investigators that she “could have” been present when the player’s mother toured the rental home, but she didn’t recall. She denied giving her money.

So Casey Pruitt likely faced plenty of questions about those allegations on Day 1. Her absence on Day 2 makes sense.

If she reappears at the hearing, it could be mostly for moral support of her husband.

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 NCAA hearing: Why wife Casey Pruitt is absent on Day 2