DEVELOPING: Pearl Suspended For 8 SEC Games

((HT: WBIR-TV Knoxville/GoVolsXtra, Griffith))

University of Tennessee Mens' Basketball Head Coach Bruce Pearl is suspended for the first eight games of the 2011 Southeastern Conference season.

In a press release from the SEC, the violations that led to the suspension were discovered during the recent investigation by the NCAA into his basketball program. The results were reported to the SEC by the institution.

"The suspension from coaching duties has been imposed after a careful review of the facts established during the NCAA's investigation and reported to the SEC office," said Slive. "I am extremely disappointed in the nature of the violations involving Coach Pearl and the Tennessee men's basketball program. The penalty applied to this circumstance is significant, which is consistent with the directive approved by the SEC membership in 2010 granting the Commissioner authority to act in such cases."

Pearl is suspended from all team activities on the dates of the following games:

Jan. 8, 2011 Tennessee at Arkansas
Jan. 11, 2011 Florida at Tennessee
Jan. 15, 2011 Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Jan. 18, 2011 Tennessee at Georgia
Jan. 26, 2011 LSU at Tennessee
Jan. 29, 2011 Tennessee at Ole Miss
Feb. 3, 2011 Tennessee at Auburn
Feb. 5, 2011 Alabama at Tennessee

"Team activities" means practices, meetings, pre- and post-game activities and the games.

Associate head coach Tony Jones will take over while Pearl is sitting on the sidelines, and his first game back is February 8th against Kentucky.

Pearl is still working without a contract...

Here's your reminder from Steve Phillips when that went down...