Today on Rocky Top: UT Lawsuit Settled, Vols up for Awards

The settling of a sexual assault lawsuit and football award watch lists headline the Tennessee Volunteers news on Rocky Top for Wednesday, July 6, 2016.

Tennessee Vols fans can wake up to a dose of good news on Wednesday morning. In one instance, Vol Nation is breathing a sigh of relief. In another instance, the hype behind football season continues to grow.

With SEC Media Days just around the corner, fans can almost taste the start of football season despite the fact that it’s nearly two months away.

And unless you’re in school, you likely can’t wait for the summer to be over.

But there are some things UT had to address first related to some serious controversy. In bringing you the July 6, 2016 news on Rocky Top, we start with that.

UT settles sex assault lawsuit – Nate Rau and Anita Wadhwani of The Tennessean

"The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has reached a settlement in a lawsuit about sexual assaults involving student-athletes, ending a dispute that pitted eight young women against the $126 million football program.UT will pay the plaintiffs $2.48 million, a sum that also includes fees for their attorneys."

Five Vols land on Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists – UTSports

"The Maxwell Football Club announced Tuesday its preseason watch lists for the 80th annual Maxwell Award and the 22nd annual Chuck Bednarik Award. Five Tennessee Volunteers appear across both watch lists as quarterback Joshua Dobbs and running back Jalen Hurd landed on the Maxwell watch list and the defensive trio of Derek Barnett, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Cameron Sutton were named to the Bednarik’s preliminary list."

Robert Hubbs III welcomes Vols uncharacteristic coaching stability – Steve Megargee of AP

"For the first time in his college career, Tennessee senior guard Robert Hubbs III isn’t adapting to a new coach.Hubbs played for Cuonzo Martin as a freshman and Donnie Tyndall as a sophomore before spending his junior year with Rick Barnes, who is gearing up for the second season of his Tennessee coaching tenure. Hubbs says he is benefiting from not having to deal with a coaching change for once."