UT AD Asks For Patience After Schiano Fiasco

KNOXVILLE, TN -- The University of Tennessee's Athletics Director John Currie urged patience and assured Vols fans he'd thoroughly vetted Greg Schiano, the Ohio State defensive coordinator who had reportedly been offered the job before a swift and virulent backlash from fans, students and elected officials forced the deal to collapse.

Before spending a decade at Rutgers, where he was easily the most successful coach in Scarlet Knights history, Schiano was a graduate assistant and later defensive backs coach at Penn State University from 1989 to 1995. Mike McQueary, the former Penn State assistant who was the key witness in the investigation of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal that rocked college football and that blighted the reputation of legendary Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno.

McQueary testified that he told Paterno about witnessing abuse by Sandusky, Paterno's long-time defensive coordinator. In documents unsealed in July 2016, McQueary also testified that two other assistant coaches - including Schiano - were aware of Sandusky's abuse, which spanned decades.

"No," McQueary testified, according to the Washington Post, "only that (former PSU assistant Tom Bradley) had — I can't remember if it was one night or one morning — but that Greg (Schiano) had come into his office white as a ghost and said he just saw Jerry doing something to a boy in the shower. And that's it. That's all he ever told me."

Later, Schiano, like many people around the Penn State football program, denied he knew anything about Sandusky's years of child rape.

"I never saw any abuse, nor had reason to suspect any abuse, during my time at Penn State," he said, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In any case, rumors swirled that Currie had not examined Schiano's tenure in Happy Valley before offering the job, a charge the athletic director refuted in his statement:

As we began our search for our next head football coach earlier this month, I promised that I would pour all my energy and effort into this process.

I have followed Coach Schiano’s accomplishments throughout his career and have been fortunate to get to know him and his family over the last several years. As reported by the media, he was a leading candidate for our position. Among the most respected professional and college football coaches, he is widely regarded as an outstanding leader who develops tough, competitive teams and cares deeply about his student-athletes.

We carefully interviewed and vetted him, as we do candidates for all positions. He received the highest recommendations for character, family values and commitment to academic achievement and student-athlete welfare from his current and former athletics directors, players, coaching colleagues and experienced media figures.

Coach Schiano worked at Penn State from 1990-1995. Consequently, we, of course, carefully reviewed the 2012 investigation report by Louis Freeh. Coach Schiano is not mentioned in the Freeh report and was not one of the more than 400 people interviewed in the investigation. We also confirmed that Coach Schiano was never deposed and never asked to testify in any criminal or civil matter. And, we conferred with our colleagues at The Ohio State University, who had conducted a similar inquiry after the 2016 release of testimony. I know that Coach Schiano will continue to have great success in his coaching career and wish him and his family well.

I am grateful for your patience as our search for the next leader for the Tennessee football program continues, and I look forward to making that introduction soon.

Photo via University of Tennessee