For the past several months the University of Tennessee and the NCAA have been feverishly negotiating the notice of allegations that UT released Wednesday. The damage to the Volunteer athletic program was significant, but it wasn’t crippling. Why? Because Tennessee handled the NCAA, a bureaucratic agency that answers to its own regulations and precedent as it sees fit, just about as well as a university can.
By that I mean that Tennessee immediately retained heavyweight attorney Mike Glazier, who specializes in these investigations and is worth his weight in gold. Whatever legal fees the Vols paid him in 2010 and ’11, Tennessee got the best bargain for its money in college football this side of Cam Newton. They ought to retire his gavel on the ring of honor at Neyland Stadium.
In earlier drafts of the notice of allegations the Volunteer football program was set to take a hit for a major violation, a failure to monitor, alongside Lane Kiffin. Then, voila, Glazier worked his magic in the last two weeks and not only managed to avoid a direct hit to the football program, but he delivered Lane Kiffin’s head on a silver platter to the NCAA.
Throughout this investigation, according to multiple sources, the goal of Tennessee was to isolate the football violations and place them squarely upon Lane Kiffin and his staff. Ultimately the Vols succeeded in going state’s evidence and making Lane Kiffin football’s fall guy.
A few months ago, Bruce Pearl said he missed Lane Kiffin being in Knoxville because Kiffin would always put his foot in his mouth and get the attention off Pearl. Well, Pearl got his wish. For one last time, Kiffin delivered the Volunteer basketball coach the ultimate gift, on a day that Pearl got slammed with seven major violations, a great deal of attention has shifted to the only real surprise from the notice, Kiffin’s being hit with two major violations of his own.
Let’s dive in and consider six other major takeaways from the notice of allegations arriving.
The NCAA has cited former 
Sweet Home Alabama, where skies are so blue (and the trees are rotting from poison).
As the NFL’s lockout calendar draws increasingly near, negotiations between the Players Association and the owners is already becoming too complicated for the average fan to follow.
New York 
On Wednesday, the South’s national holiday — signing day — took over the region. Four-stars and five-stars become celebrities for putting hats on their heads. Or posing with cuddly bulldog puppies. Bulldog puppies that, sigh, it might be necessary to use as a replacement for UGA VIII given his recently untimely demise after just six games. Maybe it’s time to get some new genes into that bulldog family tree. Just an idea. 
