University of Tennessee-Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said Thursday he's "confident" that there has been "no inappropriate conduct with any players or coaches" in the Vols football program.
Speculation in the past week has focused on a potential incident between Tennessee head coach Butch Jones and one of his players — fifth-year senior offensive lineman Mack Crowder — during a preseason camp practice, but Cheek said during UT's annual Board of Trustees meeting that he and athletic director Dave Hart have done their "due diligence" into the matter and found nothing substantial.
"There's been a lot of rumor and misinformation on social media and message boards about an alleged incident during football practice," Cheek said during the meeting. "It's not our practice to respond to rumors, but I thought it was important to let you know that we've done our due diligence and Dave Hart and I are very confident there was no inappropriate conduct with any players or coaches."
Multiple Tennessee program sources said on Thursday that Tennessee officials have spoken to Jones, as well as other coaches and players in the program, and to this point have uncovered no proof of any inappropriate behavior.