Tee Martin’s history of being investigated while at Tennessee

The University of Tennessee football program is under investigation.

The investigation stems from alleged recruiting violations and alleged impermissible benefits to athletes.

The investigation centers around only Tennessee’s football program and has pertained to assistant coaches, athletes and support staffers being interviewed as part of the investigation.

Tee Martin is in his second season as assistant coach at Tennessee. The former national championship Tennessee quarterback is serving as assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Vols.

His contract is set to expire and goes through Jan. 31, 2021.

Martin has a prior history of being investigated while at UT. As a player, he was part of an investigation of receiving money.

Wayne Rowe, a Mobile Register reporter at the time, cashed two checks totaling $4,500 in Feb. 1999. The checks were made out to him by Diane D. Sanford, an executive with Aarco Insurance in Mobile, Alabama.

In Jan. 2003, the NCAA found no evidence of violations involving payments that Martin received in 1999. Rowe informed SEC investigators that he cashed two checks from Sanford and provided them to Martin. She told Rowe that Martin needed money to repair his car, according to Rowe.

Former Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak serves on the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions. He discussed the Tennessee investigation with Vols Wire, providing his opinion on the matter.

“Schools are NCAA members, so if they find a violation on campus, they are obligated to turn themselves in,” Novak told Vols Wire. “Since this thing is so public, I am sure the NCAA is aware of it. Technically, Tennessee has an obligation, after they review it, if they find that there are violations, they are obligated to turn themselves in.”

When it comes to allegations about recruiting wrongdoings, without having anything clear-cut on the record, Novak discussed how coaches and employees within a program can be crucified by anonymous claims.

“The internet now-a-days has caused so much chaos, so much rumors, so much conspiracies out there,” Novak said. “Unless they know for sure that there are violations — just cause — a chance to be heard (is needed) before everyone is crucified.”

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