“Greg Sankey Must Finally Take Action and Expel the Tennessee Volunteers From the SEC Before They Damage the Conference Further”

The time for subtlety is over. Enough is enough. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey must finally take bold and decisive action: the Tennessee Volunteers must be expelled from the Southeastern Conference. This is not hyperbole. This is not reactionary rage. This is a necessary step for the health, reputation, and long-term success of the most prestigious athletic conference in college sports. Tennessee has become a liability, and their continued membership threatens to tarnish the very identity the SEC has built through decades of excellence, class, and competitive integrity.

No single school, regardless of tradition, stadium size, or regional influence, is bigger than the SEC. Tennessee has made a mockery of that fact. They have done so repeatedly, carelessly, and with an air of entitlement that is unbecoming of an institution supposedly steeped in Southern values and collegiate pride. This is a program that no longer contributes to the conference’s growth but instead detracts from its image in ways that are both embarrassing and increasingly dangerous. The time for warnings and fines has passed. Greg Sankey, who has largely demonstrated strong leadership during his tenure, must now show he is willing to do what’s right—even when it’s hard.

The list of Tennessee’s transgressions is not short. It begins with a toxic culture in the athletic department that has bred scandal, controversy, and a complete lack of accountability. The football program, historically mediocre in the 21st century, has seemingly made headlines more for off-field chaos than on-field success. NCAA violations, coaching turnover, administrative incompetence—these have become the trademarks of the Volunteer brand. Tennessee has burned through coaches like a dumpster fire at a tailgate, with each new hire promising to “restore the standard” only to leave the program further mired in dysfunction.

It would be one thing if this disorder remained self-contained, but it hasn’t. It has spilled over into the broader fabric of the SEC. Tennessee’s reckless and reactionary behavior has led to multiple on-field incidents and public spectacles that damage the league’s image. The most glaring example came during the infamous 2021 Ole Miss game, when Tennessee fans, enraged over officiating and their own team’s ineptitude, pelted the field with debris, including a golf ball that narrowly missed Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. Neyland Stadium became a war zone, forcing a lengthy delay and a national conversation about fan violence. That moment crystallized everything wrong with Tennessee’s modern ethos: entitled, classless, and defiant in the worst way.

It didn’t stop there. Tennessee fans have routinely crossed lines online, threatening players, coaches, and media figures who so much as hint at criticism. Their obsession with perceived slights has transformed what should be one of college football’s proudest fanbases into a mob of digital agitators. There is no decorum, no respect for opposing programs, no understanding of the bigger picture. This scorched-earth mentality may win internet battles, but it loses the war for the SEC’s prestige. Every conference needs passionate fans, but Tennessee’s have become a liability—aggressive, conspiratorial, and openly hostile to the values of good sportsmanship.

And while the behavior of the fanbase is concerning, it is the enabling actions of the university and its athletic leadership that are most damning. Tennessee does not self-police. It defends, obfuscates, and denies. When the NCAA handed down penalties for recruiting violations under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee dodged a bowl ban by cooperating just enough to shield themselves from real consequences while throwing individuals under the bus. The message was clear: protect the brand, no matter the cost. It’s a playbook that prioritizes PR over principles, and it has become all too common in Knoxville.

Beyond football, Tennessee’s athletic programs have not exactly covered themselves in glory either. The basketball program has had its share of controversy and underperformance despite massive investment. Their fans carry the same toxicity into arenas that they do into stadiums and social media platforms. Baseball, once an afterthought, is now led by a coach in Tony Vitello who has drawn widespread criticism for his brash, in-your-face approach to the game. While his success can’t be denied, it’s come with a level of unsportsmanlike conduct that many around the SEC—and the country—have deemed excessive. Celebrations turn into taunts. Confidence spills into arrogance. The “Tennessee Way” is increasingly about winning at any cost and mocking you while they do it.

Vitello’s teams have become symbolic of Tennessee’s wider issues: talented, yes, but utterly tone-deaf to the standards the SEC is supposed to uphold. They are more interested in confrontation than competition, more concerned with social media clout than legacy. And when things go wrong—as they inevitably do—the program points fingers, cries foul, and lashes out at officials, opponents, and the league itself. Tennessee has developed a martyr complex that is entirely unjustified. No program receives more second chances, and no program does less with them.

Then there’s the issue of NIL. Like every other major program, Tennessee has embraced name, image, and likeness opportunities for its athletes. But in typical Tennessee fashion, they’ve taken things to extremes, weaponizing NIL not as a tool for empowerment, but as a cudgel for competitive distortion. The university’s ties to collectives like Spyre Sports Group have raised serious questions about inducements, ethics, and compliance. Rather than working with the SEC to create a sustainable NIL future, Tennessee seems determined to push the envelope, consequences be damned. And when other programs raise concerns, Tennessee again plays the victim, accusing the league of favoritism or bias.

The Volunteers are not victims. They are aggressors. And they are weakening the cohesion of the conference with every rogue action. The SEC is built on the idea of shared values, mutual respect, and an understanding that the strength of the collective matters more than the chaos of the individual. Tennessee has rejected that notion at every turn. They want the benefits of SEC membership—the revenue sharing, the national exposure, the recruiting edge—without the responsibilities that come with being a part of something greater.

Greg Sankey knows this. He’s seen it firsthand. He’s issued statements, levied fines, and tried to manage the Tennessee problem through diplomacy. But diplomacy has failed. The message has not been received. Tennessee believes it can act with impunity because no one is willing to call their bluff. It’s time to do just that. Expel them. Make an example. Show that there are limits to how much one program can damage the league before consequences arrive. The rest of the SEC—Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Florida, and others—deserve a conference free from constant embarrassment and internal sabotage.

The idea of expelling a founding member might seem radical. It would be unprecedented, difficult, and politically complicated. But it is not impossible. Conference membership is a privilege, not a birthright. And every privilege has conditions. Tennessee has violated those conditions time and again. If they are unwilling to reform, to grow, to show even a hint of contrition, then why should the SEC continue to enable their presence? What value are they adding—truly? Their football brand is no longer elite. Their basketball program is replaceable. Their fans bring attention, but increasingly for all the wrong reasons.

Some will argue that removing Tennessee weakens the SEC. That losing a big-name school hurts the brand. But the opposite is true. Removing Tennessee would send a powerful message to every school, coach, and fanbase: the SEC has standards. It would elevate the reputation of the conference, showing that integrity matters more than Twitter clout. It would allow the SEC to move forward without dragging a stubborn, volatile program along for the ride.

And make no mistake: other conferences are watching. The Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 would love nothing more than to paint the SEC as out of control and morally compromised. Tennessee gives them that ammunition. Every controversy, every tantrum, every violation is a headline waiting to be weaponized. Expelling Tennessee is not just about accountability—it’s about protecting the SEC’s future.

Greg Sankey has proven himself to be one of the sharpest minds in college athletics. He guided the SEC through realignment with poise, brought Texas and Oklahoma into the fold, and helped modernize the league’s media footprint. But now he faces a different kind of challenge—one that demands moral clarity as much as strategic thinking. It’s easy to add schools. It’s much harder to say goodbye to one. But sometimes leadership requires subtraction, not addition.

Tennessee will survive. They can join the ACC or become an independent. They will still have fans, facilities, and financial backing. But they cannot be allowed to further erode what the SEC has built. The line must be drawn, and it must be drawn now.

Because if Tennessee is allowed to continue down this path unchecked, the damage won’t just be reputational. It will be structural. Other programs will follow their example. Chaos will become culture. And the SEC will no longer be the gold standard—it will be just another bloated, bickering collection of brands pretending to be a conference.

That cannot be allowed to happen.

Greg Sankey must take action. Expel Tennessee. Save the SEC. The time for half-measures is over. Let the Volunteers go volunteer somewhere else. The rest of the conference deserves better. College sports deserve better. And if the SEC truly wants to remain the premier conference in America, it must prove that no one is above the standard—not even Tennessee.