Just when you thought the bad news was dying down, Tennessee football got hit with another twist. Less than two weeks before the start of spring practice, three defensive Vols, one returning redshirt freshman and two early enrollee signees, have gotten wrapped up in legal issues.
According to WBIR, redshirt freshman linebacker Martavius French, early enrollee linebacker Aaron Willis and early enrollee Isaac Washington were identified among a group of players facing misdemeanor drug charges. The charges are in connection with an incident that took place on March 9 at Stokely Hall.
Jimmy Hyams of WNML on Twitter added that they have been charged with “simple possession, unlawful drug paraphernalia and juvenile incident.” The police report mentions an assault as well, although what everybody is responsible for is unclear. Here’s what was said by WBIR.
"According to authorities, several males entered the Stokely apartment and walked to a room.They knocked on a door. A roommate answered the door and said he was assaulted by one male, according to authorities. None of the four adults has been charged with assault"
This is a terrible situation for Tennessee football to be in. The Vols just wrapped up their on-field staff officially last Friday. They are also in the process of winding down the NCAA investigation into their program related to the issues with Jeremy Pruitt. A tumultuous offseason that included replacing their athletic director and coaching staff appeared to be finally calming down.
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With this report, things could be collapsing once again. We should also note that the players who got in trouble make this only worse given the personnel of Rocky Top this year. All of them could be key in 2021.
French was a four-star linebacker out of Memphis who did not play in 2020. Willis was a four-star linebacker in the 2021 class who spent time in Virginia and Maryland. Given the departures of Quavaris Crouch and Henry To’o To’o, linebacker is a huge need for the Vols right now. Both of these guys could fill an immediate need.
Washington is a three-star defensive lineman across the board in the 2021 class, and given the depth up front, he probably wouldn’t have seen much action this year. However, he could definitely be a valuable player in the future.
Simply put, this is disastrous for Tennessee football. Two freshmen with elite potential at arguably the biggest position of need being arrested just before spring practice is the last thing they need. It may only make Heupel’s work harder.