TAKE IT DOWN! TAKE IT DOWN! TAKE IT DOWN!
Nearly two months after his firing, the image of former head coach Butch Jones of the back of the Neyland Stadium Jumbotron *may be* finally coming down at long last!
Please hang on. A crane has been ordered.
— Beverly Davenport (@bev_dav) January 2, 2018
So it is decreed: one of the last pieces of memorabilia from the Jones era — a picture akin to a 20th Century Eastern European dictator looming menacingly over a city square — will be erased from the hallowed ground that bears General Neyland’s name.
Since Jones was fired by former athletic director John Currie on Nov. 12, fans have been clamoring for Jones’ image to either be changed or at least removed.
Since then, these events have occurred:
- Tennessee completed its worst season in program history at 4-8
- The Greg Schiano revolt
- Tennessee was made a national laughingstock with its abysmal coaching search
- Currie was fired and Phillip Fulmer was named his replacement
- Finally, the Vols found their man in Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt
- 2017 turned to 2018
But on the second day of this new year, the first official word was announced that Vol Nation will soon no longer have to be reminded of the past when they gaze upon Neyland Stadium as the program enters a new era.
The question must be raised, though, of how difficult it is to contact whatever company owns the equipment necessary to remove Jones’ picture from a structure like the Jumbotron and why it has taken this long?
Here’s hoping that the replacement image will actually be of a person who has earned the right to be placed alongside General Neyland and Reggie White.
