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Tennessee football: Vols fans choose integrity over winning with Greg Schiano

By Caleb Calhoun

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 15: Greg Schiano, head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, watches the action during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium on December 15, 2013 in Tampa, Florida. San Francisco won the game 33-14. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 15: Greg Schiano, head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, watches the action during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium on December 15, 2013 in Tampa, Florida. San Francisco won the game 33-14. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Reports of Tennessee football hiring Greg Schiano sparked a major backlash among Volunteers fans, proving they choose integrity over winning.

Shoutout to Vol Twitter. Shoutout to Tennessee football fans everywhere for taking a stand and making their voices heard.

No matter what happens with the Vols’ coaching search, and regardless of what’s true and untrue, Tennessee fans made clear where they stand. You can potentially cross a few moral and ethical lines.

But Greg Schiano was a line too far.

In case you missed it, reports began to spread like wildfire that the Vols were finalizing a deal with Schiano, the former head coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current defensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes, to become their next head coach.

Again, these were just reports. Nobody officially said anything. But it didn’t matter. Tennessee football fans had enough.

A Washington Post report in the summer of 2016 noted that documents show Schiano knew of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse at Penn State. To be fair, Schiano has denied it. But the documents implicating him are in a deposition. That’s pretty damning.

And it was damning enough for Vol Nation to say no way!

Vol Twitter went off from the start. Here’s just a few things that were said by former Tennessee football players.

State lawmakers even got in on the action.

And fans then went to protest the hire at Neyland Stadium.

Simply put, Vols fans did not hide their displeasure from the start. And that’s a major testament to all of them.

Let’s be clear. Greg Schiano has as good of a resume as many of the people that are Tennessee football coaching candidates. He turned Rutgers into a national power. He has experience in the NFL.

And it’s very clear that the guy knows football.

However, the reports of what went on at Penn State were enough for Vol Nation to do everything to send him away. After all of that, this report surfaced.

For all of this, Tennessee football fans deserve a ton of credit. Regardless of what happens with this coaching search, Vols fans made their voices heard. They may accept a few things, including potentially hiring a guy like Bobby Petrino with his baggage. Heck Schiano has red flags elsewhere.

However, they made it clear that what Schiano is accused of at Penn State is unacceptable.

Often times, fan bases receive tests as to whether or not that put integrity and morality over winning. Tennessee football fans faced a major one on Sunday. And to be honest, they aced it with flying colors.

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