Will we turn the Bruce loose?

It would appear that the Bruce Pearl era is about to end in Knoxville. This makes me sad. Bruce Pearl has done a lot to build our basketball program and put it back in the national spotlight. Face it, football will always be king on Rocky Top and there's no one better than Coach Pat Summitt on the ladies side. Coach Pearl knew he would be third on the totem pole.

I'm going to be honest, there were times when I didn't give a flip out the men's team. Heck, when I was in school, no one cared about the men's teams. We could roll up just a few minutes before tip-off and we'd have our pick of seats.

Like all cycles, our football program began to falter and the next thing you know, we have a Big Orange spark plug, named Bruce Pearl. One of our part-timers at work was still a student when Pearl came on board. He said before one of our big SEC home games, Bruce went around the cafeteria, shaking hands and asking the students to come out and support the team. I thought that was cool and will always stick with me.

Another thing I'll never forget is the look on his face after last season's loss to Michigan State in the Elite 8. I hurt for him and the team. I thought this was our year...then the wheels fell off. We lost our leaders on the court and our leader on the sidelines.

The NCAA violations still bother me, so I won't dwell, but a part of me always hoped we could get past this and keep him on board. But as the months grew longer and more information became known, I knew we'd lose Bruce. I'm disappointed in his lies. I know he knows right from wrong. Why pick the wrong path? There are no secrets in high profile programs, or any program, for that matter.

But, the thing that bugs me the most is our AD giving an interview 48 hours before game, basically telling the world Bruce is done. Timing is everything, why do it now? In years past, our team might have rallied around our coach and played that much harder. To be honest, I don't know if these guys have it in them. I know they're just kids, but they're soft. No one wants to step up to be the leader. You can't have a successful team without a leader.

I'll still wear my orange tomorrow and I'll still be a Vol for life. Just wish I could have said the same about Bruce.