Tennessee Vols morning report: Charges against Darel Middleton dropped
Darel Middleton leads our Tennessee Vols news for Monday, Aug. 3, 2020.
It was a very eventful weekend for the Tennessee Vols. Despite all the news surrounding the delay of fall sports, which peaked with the news of delaying the start of football season for SEC schools, plenty of things related to the football program still took place.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with a legal issue that surrounded a major player on UT’s roster. The end result was good news for the program. We also have more coverage on the new SEC schedule as other officials in the program continue to discuss it. Numerous former Vols made news in the NFL over the weekend as well.
Beyond football, we have an event involving two UT women’s golfers that begins today. So believe it or not, some things are actually taking place. However, let’s start with the news surrounding somebody in the football program.
Charges dropped against DL Darel Middleton – AP News
Rising senior defensive tackle Darel Middleton of the Tennessee Vols football team had his charges dropped over the weekend. Middleton was facing domestic assault and public intoxication charges due to an incident with his girlfriend that took place back in February.
"The 6-foot-7, 305-pound senior is a junior college transfer. He started six of 13 games with 28 tackles in 2019, his first season with the Vols."
Multiple NFL Vols released, others on COVID-19 list – Patrick Brown, GoVols247
It was a major weekend of news for former Tennessee football players in the NFL, and none of it was good. Defensive back Rashaan Gaulden was released by the Carolina Panthers, and linebacker Daniel Bituli was cut by the Los Angeles Rams. Defensive backs Nigel Warrior and Justin Coleman of the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens have been placed on the NFL’s reserve/Covid-19 list.
"The new category is reserved for players who either test positive for Covid-19 or have had to isolate after having been in close contract with an infected person, per ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter. Coleman reportedly tested positive, with the Detoit Free Press citing sources claiming Coleman “feels great” and has not shown symptoms of the coronavirus."
Phillip Fulmer talks football season amid COVID-19 – 99.1 The Sports Animal
Rocky Top athletic director Phillip Fulmer spoke with John Wilkerson and Jimmy Hyams about the plans for the Tennessee Vols football season. That includes dealing with fans in the stands and the new SEC schedule. He admitted that many of the things aren’t figured out yet because they have to see what happens with the virus. Here’s a bit of what he said about the new schedule.
"“I think we’ve ended up in the right place for this one year, and it’ll be interesting to see how it ends up working out. Nobody wanted to lose those ACC games that they had, and we did not want to lose our Oklahoma game, but for the best of the health and welfare of our players and athletes and fans, everybody concerned, it was the right thing to do at this point.”"
Two Lady Vols competing in US Women’s Amateur – UTSports
The Tennessee women’s golf program will be well-represented at the US Women’s Amateur, which begins Monday in Rockville, Md. Senior Micheala Williams and rising sophomore Nicole Whiston will both be competing in the event.
"The championship runs Aug. 3-9 with two rounds of stroke play on Monday and Tuesday before moving into match play for the rest of the event. This year’s appearance at the US Women’s Amateur is the second-straight for Whiston."