Report: Eight Vols Assistant Coaches Reject Salary Cut Proposed by AD During Pandemic

Tennessee is sitting at 2-4 on the 2020 season with a tough remaining schedule in front of them. The Vols coaching staff has received plenty of criticism after squandering half-time leads against Georgia and Arkansas and getting routed by Kentucky.

Jeremy Pruitt's contract was extended through 2026, and he received a four hundred thousand dollar a year raise. However, Pruitt did not take the raise for the 2020 season to help out with the financial losses Tennessee expects to encounter due to the pandemic.

Several of his coaches, however, did not opt to do the same thing. According to a report from Blake Toppmeyer of the Knoxville News Sentinel, eight Tennessee coaches rejected proposed salary cuts from the Athletic Department, based on records obtained in a public records request.

Below are some of the highlights from Toppmeyer's exclusive story, but the full report is filled with many more key details.

Toppmeyer wrote, "Wide receivers coach Tee Martin and running backs coach Jay Graham are the only football assistants who have accepted pay cuts.

Declining pay cuts were:

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney
Defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley
Offensive line coach Will Friend
Quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke
Inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer
Outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton
Tight ends coach Joe Osovet
Strength and conditioning coach A.J. Artis"

Chaney is the highest-paid assistant coach on staff, as he makes 1.6 million, and as his contract continues, his salary will increase to 1.7 million in 2021.

Toppmeyer also added about the salary reduction plan, "The salary reduction plan was designed to save the athletic department about $1.6 million. Because eight football staff members rejected a pay cut, the savings will come to about $1.3 million, according to figures provided by the athletic department. About $280,000 of that savings will come from at-will employees; about $600,000 will come from contract employees; and $400,000 is from Pruitt forgoing a raise for the 2020 contract year."

As far as Graham and Martin, Toppmeyer reports, "Graham, for reasons tied to his transition from College Station, opted into a smaller pay cut, but he has indicated a willingness to extend the pay cut up to the full requested amount in the coming months. The amendment Graham signed outlined that his salary amount between $50,000 and $150,00 will be cut by 2.5%, and his pay over $150,000 will be reduced by 5%. Martin also agreed to the tiered salary reduction through June 30. The documentation for Martin’s pay cut is not finalized, but it went into effect Nov. 1, and the paperwork will be completed in the coming days, athletic department spokesman Tom Satkowiak said."

During such unprecedented times, this does not have the best look for an athletic department that is already expecting significant losses, as are many across the county. Only time will tell if this will impact Tennessee in the future, but for now, it is at least not a good look. It is likely that several of Tennessee's support staffers were forced to take pay cuts, as they were not protected by their contracts like the assistant coaches.

For Toppmeyer's full report, click here.