KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Thirty-eight days.
That’s how long Derek Dooley stayed silent following the Vols’ historic loss to Kentucky in November 2011.
That loss not only kept the Vols out of a bowl game, but it sparked a period of more than a month in which the Tennessee football program proved to be one of near complete dysfunction.
Tennessee had multiple recruits for the Class of 2012 decommit. Seven of Dooley’s nine assistants bolted for other jobs. The local call-in shows and Tennessee message boards were filled with anger, concern and angst. Media requests for interviews were delayed.