Former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt wants back in the game. Now, after five years away from the college game, he asked a court to expedite his hearing in a complaint against the NCAA that could allow him to coach again.
Pruitt filed the motion to expedite in an Alabama circuit court on Wednesday.
“Colleges are in the midst of hiring season, and immediate relief is paramount for Pruitt to have any chance of being hired after five years of being barred from college football,” the coach’s representation wrote in the filing, obtained by AL.com. “Upon information and belief, several institutions are interested in hiring (Pruitt) and will hire (Pruitt) as soon as the ‘Show Cause’ Order is enjoined.”
Pruitt was fired for cause from Tennessee after the 2020 season. He was given a six-year show cause ban in 2023, due to various NCAA violations
In October, Pruitt filed a motion in DeKalb County, asking the court to stop the NCAA from interfering with his employment opportunities. He said that at least two schools in the state of Alabama, including Jacksonville State, were interested in Pruitt joining their staffs as an analyst or consultant.
“For 5 years, Jeremy Pruitt has been effectively black-balled in the world of collegiate athletics,” his complaint read. “In 2023, following a flawed investigation, the NCAA Committee on Infractions (“COI”), without the benefit of legal process, entered an unjustified injunction completely barring NCAA colleges from hiring Jeremy.
“If an institution wanted to employ Jeremy, as a coach, assistant, analyst, or ball-boy, the institution would have to seek relief from the injunction of the COI in the form of a “Show Cause Order”. Unfortunately, the NCAA’s injunction is left to the whims of the COI, undefined, without parameters, the terms of which cannot be found in any rule or regulation.”
Following his complaint, the NCAA approved Pruitt joining Jacksonville State’s staff as an analyst. However, that ruling did not apply to any other schools.
Pruitt’s attorneys also requested the court set a date for the NCAA’s motion to dismiss his complaint.
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