Tennessee Players In Bar Brawl, But Is There A Potential NCAA Violation In Play?

If you're a UT player and would like to stay on the team, just avoid Cumberland Avenue. And if you're a regular person and don't want to get beaten up by the UT players, also avoid Cumberland Avenue.

"Seven to 10" players were involved in an early morning fight at Bar Knoxville, a, um, bar in Knoxville. And from the bar's owner's account, it sounds like a scene from Road House, only instead of Patrick Swayze coming out ahead in 1-vs-10 brawls, those 10 just kicked the shit out of him.

Basically, it was a normal Thursday night - Thursday's our big night," Morton said. "We had all the UT football players come in. They're on a first-name basis with my husband (and co-owner), and they get VIP status, which means they pay no cover at the door. We've never had a problem with them in the past, but tonight, apparently they had a falling out with another gentleman. I don't know why. I don't know what happened, but several of the guys started beating up the other customer. I want to guess there was seven to 10 guys beating up this one gentleman.

"All the security then rushed in and were trying to break it up. My husband saw them picking up bar stools and starting to swing them. We got them out the door with security. There happened to be a friend of ours who was an off-duty police officer outside. He tried to help, and he ended up getting knocked out in the street and proceeded to be kicked while he was down on the ground in the middle of Cumberland."

Arrests were made but have yet to be announced, but it looks for all the world like kids being kids, and nothing for the NCAA to get their panties in a bunch over. Until you re-read the part about players getting VIP status at a club, and not having to pay cover. Improper benefits? I don't know, but you can bet the NCAA will be checking it out.

At this point, Lane Kiffin must feel like a man who escaped a sinking ship for a sunken one.

Vols football players in brawl at bar [Chattanooga Times Free Press]