It’s no secret that Vol Nation had a mixed reaction to Tennessee football by hiring UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel to lead their program. Given the fact that the new athletic director Danny White also came from UCF, people were also a little suspicious.
However, while the majority of the pissed off thought that the Vols could have brought a bigger name, some legends took the trouble to proclaim one of the assistants still on the team. Wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Tee Martin emerged in more ways than one.
Peerless Price, the biggest game-making wide receiver in Tennessee football history and Martin’s favorite guy on the 1998 national championship team, said Martin is beyond hurt. Why this happens is yet to be seen. Price made the statement on Twitter.
I just hung up the phone with my Quarterback Tee Martin and told my guy that his pain is an understatement! My brother, if my vision has ever been blurred, I have a clear vision of everything you sacrificed for our University. Damn the pain in my brother’s voice that I’ve never heard before!
– Peerless Price (@PeerlessTheVol) January 27, 2021
What was more telling than that tweet, however, was one of Price’s responses to another tweet. He started debating with a lot of Vol Twitter, but in one of his responses, he hinted that it was not about Martin being given the position of head coach.
Your assumptions are funny. You assume I was talking about him wanting to become the coach of Tennessee! This assumption is funny.
– Peerless Price (@PeerlessTheVol) January 27, 2021
If that tweet is true, what does it all mean? Does that mean Heupel is about to fire Martin? If so, it contradicts a report by Jimmy Hyams on Twitter less than a week ago that Martin had received an offer to stay.
Tennessee’s chief co-coach, pass game coordinator and receiver coach Tee Martin has a verbal agreement with AD Phillip Fulmer who is stepping down over a 2-year extension with a raise. Martin has not yet signed, as the investigation and search for a new AD delayed the process.
– Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) January 21, 2021
Of course, Heupel could want his own guys. There is a chance that Kevin Steele, who was specifically hired to guide the program during this transition and nothing else, would also not remain on the team, although due to the defensive problems of Heupel’s teams, it would not be a bad idea to keep him.
Anyway, if Martin is injured and there is an implication that it is not about him becoming the head coach, then either Heupel is splitting up with him or is not getting any promotion he hoped for. Is there a chance that Martin would think he would be named offensive coordinator? We have no way of knowing.
Another former Tennessee football player, however, was more direct. Albert Haynesworth, a defensive NFL Pro Bowl tackle who played with the Vols from 1999 to 2001, directly accused the Vols of racism for not citing Martin as the head coach on his Facebook page. Haynesworth called for a boycott of the program for all UT African American alumni. Here’s a little bit of what he said.
“I bring the race into this because UT has overlooked good black coaches like Kippy Brown and others in previous coach research. Most of your players are African American, why not put an African American coach to lead them, especially the one who won a Tennessee championship campeonato? You give everyone a chance, except a qualified black man! With that said, I won’t be watching any games or supporting until I see a change at the university that I love so much! “
Obviously, Haynesworth is making a serious accusation, but it is clear that the people who played with Martin at that time loved and respected him. Maybe it was just in the heat of the moment, but maybe it had something to do with other potential African American candidates not being hired this time either.
Of the two, however, Price appears to be the most reliable source on what Martin specifically wants. The two were teammates for a long time and, as we said, Price was Martin’s primary target in 1998. It’s safe to say that they probably have a connection that few college teammates have.
Regardless, this is difficult for Vol Nation to see. Everyone wants to see Tennessee football united into the future, and it doesn’t seem to be the case right now. However, if Heupel is successful, that can change quickly.