Less than a week after it was announced former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer would be accepting a position as “special assistant to the president,” he has changed his mind.
On Friday, it was announced that Fulmer would not be taking the paid position under UT President John Petersen (in addition to his $6 million buyout from the athletic department budget), contrary to what was announced earlier in the week.
Kudos to Fulmer. Just a day ago, I called for Fulmer to turn down the money. He did.
“I am sorry for any confusion, and I appreciate the university allowing me to take time to consider my retirement and insurance options,” Fulmer said in a statement provided by the UT Office of Communications. “Today I informed President Petersen that I will not be transitioning to a position in the President’s office at this time. Instead, I have offered my services to him as an alumni volunteer, helping develop the university’s relationships with its supporters. It has always been my goal to do what’s right for this great university and bring Tennessee people together, and that’s what I will continue to do.”
Petersen announced the appointment on Monday. On Wednesday, Petersen announced a hiring freeze at UT.
“Our announcement earlier this week in response to widespread media reports created some confusion,” Petersen said. “We had to move quickly to adhere to University retirement policies and deadlines. Under those policies the agreement would not have become final until today. In the days following our announcement, Phillip had the time he needed to consider it further.
“The University values Phillip’s ability to unite and motivate his fellow alumni, and we will continue to seek ways to make the best use of his talents.”
The style of writing is quite familiar to me. Did you write guest posts for other bloggers?
Yea I’m positive I’ve seen your writing somewhere. Maybe for http://www.kemocity.com ?