Albert Haynesworth The Tennessee Laughingstock, Not New AD
By calling the Tennessee athletic program a laughingstock, former Volunteer Albert Haynesworth continues to make a mockery of himself and the school he supposedly loves.
By calling the Tennessee athletic program a laughingstock, former Volunteer Albert Haynesworth continues to make a mockery of himself and the school he supposedly loves.
Yesterday, the University of Tennessee hired John Currie to be its next athletic director. It seems like a good hire – Currie has been in the same position at Kansas State where the department has been fiscally sound and never in major trouble – but for some people connected to the Volunteers, it is the biggest blasphemy in Knoxville since Steve Spurrier was making Citrus Bowl jokes.
One of those unnerved individuals is Albert Haynesworth, the former Volunteer defensive tackle who went on to play in the NFL for 10 years, who took to Twitter to post his grievances.
“When is UT going to stop shitting on the man that brought UT Men’s Athletics to the national forefront??? Coach Fulmer bleeds orange but after this new AD hire it should make his blood boil RED!!! I’m sick of UT being the laughingstock of the SEC!!! COACH FULMER CAN MAKE TENNESSEE GREAT AGAIN!!!!!!”
Ignoring the obvious salute to the current President of the United States, it is interesting that Haynesworth would bring up the word laughingstock because of one reason: he, himself, has done plenty to garner that title himself.
The legal issues portion of Haynesworth’s Wikipedia page reads like that of a hardened criminal.
Indicted for two misdemeanor traffic charges after being involved in a car accident that partially paralyzed another person? Check.
Failing to make payments on a loan that amounted more than $2.38 million? Done that.
Sued by a stripper that claimed Haynesworth impregnated her and left her with no support financially? Oh yeah.
Punched a man in the nose during a traffic incident? Sure.
Reckless boating charges? X marks the spot.
Tennessee is hardly a laughingstock in this arrangement. Sure, the football and men’s basketball programs have seen better days, and the once-powerhouse women’s basketball team has fallen off a bit recently, but the Tennessee brand is still strong.
While it is reasonable that Haynesworth would want Fulmer in office – he did play for the man, after all – the fact remains that Fulmer has little experience in the day-to-day operations of an entire athletic department. Some of the ire could come from the fact that Currie, who served as an assistant athletic director in Knoxville from 1997-2008, was part of the regime that pushed the legendary Fulmer out the door after 17 years that included a 152-52 record, two SEC titles and the 1998 BCS National Championship.
Regardless, by reacting so childishly to Currie’s anointment, Haynesworth has again achieved precisely what he accused Tennessee’s powers brokers of: making a mockery of his alma mater.
Just add this latest outburst to the laundry list of ways Haynesworth has brought down Tennessee’s reputation.
