"This is obviously silly": Furious Tennessee AD Danny White slams NCAA for its investigation on Vols’ alleged NIL breaches in powerful statement

Tennessee Volunteers athletic director Danny White blasted the NCAA on Thursday over its investigation into the school.

The Vols are being looked into for violations related to name, image and likeness. The investigation revolves around activity related to the Spyre Sports Group, which is Tennessee's main NIL collective, with the case being primarily tied to football.

Since the NCAA launched the investigation, the Volunteers have denied any wrongdoing and have pushed back against the regulatory organization.

In his statement, White blasted the NCAA, saying its staff "does not understand" what is happening with NIL.

“It is clear that the NCAA staff does not understand what is happening at the campus level all over our country in the NIL space,” White wrote. “After reviewing thousands of Tennessee coaches and personal phone records, NCAA investigators didn’t find a single NIL violation, so they moved the goalpost to fit a predetermined outcome.

“They are stating the nebulous, contradictory NIL guidelines (written by the NCAA not the membership) don’t matter and applying the old booster bylaws to collectives. If that’s the case, then 100% of major programs in college athletics have significant violations. This is obviously silly and not productive, as is blaming the membership whenever they are challenged.”

White added:

“We need to be spending our time and energy on solutions to better organize college athletics in the NIL era — something that NCAA leadership failed to do back in 2021.

“Student-athletes, prospective student-athletes, coaches, and administrators across the country deserve better, and I refuse to allow the NCAA to irrationally use Tennessee as an example for their own agendas.”

White is the latest University of Tennessee official to issue a statement on the investigation. Chancellor Donde Plowman sent a letter to the NCAA, which went public as she took issue with the investigation.

Tennessee is suing the NCAA

After it was revealed the NCAA was investigating the Tennessee Volunteers over an NIL issue, the state filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA.

The suit alleges that the NCAA violated antitrust laws by denying athletes their ability to earn full compensation for their names, images and likenesses.

After the state of Tennessee filed the suit, the NCAA issued a scathing response:

"This legal action would exacerbate what our members themselves have frequently described as a 'wild west' atmosphere."

There is no word on whether this will go to court, but it appears neither Tennessee nor the NCAA is standing down from a head-on collision.