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Tennessee Vols: Jon Gruden Went From Loved To Hated By UT Fans

By Zach Ragan

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 30: Coach Jon Gruden of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers checks the scoreboard against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on November 30, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 30: Coach Jon Gruden of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers checks the scoreboard against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on November 30, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /
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Former Tennessee Vols assistant coach Jon Gruden didn’t do UT fans any favors this past month.

The “Grumors” surrounding ESPN analyst Jon Gruden and the Tennessee Vols were stronger this year than at any point in the past.

But that’s mostly the fault of Gruden.

It appears that Gruden talked with some folks at Tennessee and spoke with a couple of former Vols about joining him at UT. It’s unclear, however, how serious Gruden was about potentially coming to Tennessee.

And instead of ending the speculation, Gruden just added fuel to the fire by refusing to directly address the rumors/reports, and by randomly bringing up “Rocky Top” during a radio interview in Seattle.

Most folks are past the Grumors at this point, but there are still a few folks hanging on to them, since Tennessee hasn’t hired a coach yet.

Gruden had another chance to end any speculation on Monday night when his broadcasting partner directly brought up the rumors.

Gruden’s response?

Nothing.

It’s because of those reactions that rumors continue to linger.

If Gruden loves Tennessee as much as he tries to act like he does, then he should’ve ended the silly rumors back in the middle of November.

Letting the rumors linger just sets the Vol fan base up for disappointment when someone other than Gruden is announced as Tennessee’s new head coach.

It’s obvious that Gruden sees the “Grumors” as self serving. It keeps his name in the news, just in case he decides to return to coaching.

But Vol fans are over the charade. They’re over Jon Gruden.

No one would’ve blamed Gruden for shooting down the rumors and telling folks that he just isn’t a college coach. Tennessee fans would’ve understood that decision and respected it.

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Gruden has essentially went from a beloved figure among Vol fans, to public enemy number one (along with USA Today’s Dan Wolken).

I’ll give Gruden some credit — he kept the act going for a long time. But now the jig is up, and he’s going to see that Vol nation isn’t all that forgiving.

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