DEVELOPING: Busy Day In Knoxville- Pearl Picture May Be Key Evidence, Rogers Charges Dropped

((HT: Govolsxtra.com/Griffith))

So, the NCAA investigation into Vols head men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl has come down to this...

Ohio State freshman Aaron Craft, who was considering Tennessee at the time of the alleged picture, may be in a picture taken at Pearl's house during an unofficial visit two years ago.

During a weekend visit, now-Kansas freshman Josh Selby and now-Vols freshman Jordan McRae are seen in a photo with Craft. When first asked if Pearl and his assistants recognized the location, they said they did not. When asked again almost two months later, they did come clean and say it was at Pearl's house.

Another issue is the idea of providing refreshments to juniors during unofficial visits. It's verboten on every level known to man...

When Griffith contacted Craft by text, the response was that every question was to go through the TOSU compliance department.

In other Vols news, the bar brawl charges against WR Da'Rick Rogers have been dropped. The story from our friends at WATE-TV in Knoxville is here... and the VolunteerTV version is here...

Anthony Welsch was indoors for the WBIR-TV10 version...

DEVELOPING STORY: Victim In UT Brawl Comes Forward; Rogers Named In Assault, Denies Charge

((HT: GoVolsXtra- Hickman, Jacobs, Stambaugh/WBIR-TV)) The Knoxville Police Department released two more reports on the Bar Knoxville assault case Tuesday.

One is bad for the prize recruit Da'Rick Rogers, the other is still trying to figure out who kicked and beat an off-duty KPD officer.

We're working a few different stories at the same time here... bear with us...

KPD was called to Bar Knoxville to investigate an assault. They were told by an "Ian Cox" that he had tried "to detain the suspect (Rogers) for another assault that had taken place on the sidewalk."

From GoVolsXtra and the incident report:
Cox told officers that Rogers "pushed him and attempted to hit him while attempting to stop Rogers from leaving," the report states, but "Cox had no injuries and was adamant about not prosecuting."

"While trying to detain Rogers, officers briefly struggled with him, but (he) was later taken into custody without further incident," the report states.

Rogers has not, to date, been charged with any assault.

The incident report on the assault of KPD officer Robert Capouellez still is tied to an unidentified male aged 18-to-30...

Vol Chase Nelson is accused of starting a fight with 20-year-old bar patron Gary Russell. This is, according to the timeline, the first incident that started all the others. Russell tells Chris Low, in his ESPN piece, that he can only positively identify Denarius Moore and Montori Hughes in the case.

Hughes' lawyer has denied his client starting anything and only acted when provoked...

WBIR caught up with Chris Low, who interviewed Russell...
Kris Budden got to sit at the edge of the adult table for a long VO...


Here's Heather Haley's report from our friends at WVLT-TV


Here's the pending KPD report on Bar Knoxville
Here's the pending UTPD report on Bar Knoxville

2245 UPDATE: This comes as no surprise... Rogers, through his lawyers, denies any and all involvement in the case at Bar Knoxville...

The Bosch Law Firm released the following statement:

This office represents Da'Rick Rogers concerning the allegations and charges occurring on July 9, 2010.

Da'Rick adamantly denies any claims by the alleged victim that he assaulted him or any one else that evening.

He did not, in any way, assault anyone at anytime that evening or in the early morning.

Da'Rick will address the allegations in his misdemeanor warrants at the appropriate time and looks forward to demonstrating his innocence as it relates to those charges. He has done nothing wrong and the public and media accounts about his behavior have in large part, been inaccurate.

No further statements will be made at this time

Obviously, if the Bosch firm feels media statements have been inaccurate (in large part), it would have been nice to know exactly which statements fall into that category. And the HQ looks forward to seeing the demonstration of Rogers' innocence by Rogers in something resembling open court...

Derek Dooley Addresses Vols Bar Fight

Coach Dooley was on vacation, but returned to Knoxville post-haste after everything went down at Bar Knoxville...

Here's his comments on the matter of Rogers, Myles, et al.
((HT: WVLT-TV Knoxville))

DEVELOPING STORY: Vol Football Players In Brawl, Third Arrest Pending

An overnight brawl at a bar in Knoxville has resulted in assault charges for members of the Tennessee football team.

The fight broke out at Bar Knoxville at approximately 1:50 a.m.- and what is it the HQ continually says about 2AM...??? Bar owner Sandy Morton said between seven and ten football players "started beating up a customer."

Bar security got the fight outside, and another customer at the bar who was standing outside became involved. That customer, Robert Capouellez, is a Knoxville Police Department Officer who was off-duty.

KPD officers responed to the scene, and a press release by the Knoxville Police Department said when officers arrived they found Capouellez "lying on the ground unconscious." Capouellez was transported to UT Medical Center for treatment of a head wound. His brother, when asked, said Robert will be in the hospital for a few more days, but should be okay.

"Another individual from inside Bar Knoxville who had been assaulted by multiple individuals was also transported to UT Medical Center with numerous injuries," the release stated. The name of the second victim will be released once his next of kin has been notified.

Knoxville Police have charged Da'Rick Rogers ((pictured first, thanks Knox County Sheriff's Office)) with Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest. Rogers was listed as a top national recruit who, at the last minute, changed his intentions from attending Georgia to UTK. His high school quarterback his senior season, Nash Nance, changed from Vanderbilt to Tennessee when it was disclosed Rogers was heading to Knoxville.

Darren Myles, Jr., fled the scene and later assaulted a University of Tennessee Police Department officer. Myles ((pictured second, thanks again Knox County Sheriff's Office)) now faces charges of assault, resisting arrest, and evading arrest.

Remember, Myles was arrested in April on charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. His arraignment on those charges is set for August 12th.

Matthew Milton, an incoming freshman, is being sought as a third player in the melee. Milton will be charged with assault by the KPD.

Here's Rogers and Myles leaving the Knox County Detention Center this morning... Rogers posted a $1,000 bond. Myles' was $2,000.
((HT: WBIR-TV))


Here's the interview with one of the bar owners, Sandy Newton, about the incident...
((HT: WBIR-TV Knoxville))


">The statement from Knoxville Police is here...
Here's the complaint against Myles, and the complaint against Rogers...

National Signing Day HQ- Southeastern Version

Okay... here's everything you need to know about the unofficial national holiday known as "National Signing Day..."

Da'Rick Rogers went from committing to Georgia to Tennessee- surprising no one who understood the idea that he and his high school QB, Nash Nance, were a package deal. Vols head coach Derek Dooley knew this and got them both. Nance comes in from Vanderbilt...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the state of Georgia covered here...

Mr. SEC has his run down here...

For those of you who like other conferences:
The ACC is here...
Conference USA is here...
The Sun Belt is here...
The Southern Conference is here...
The Colonial Conference is here...

If there's anyone we forgot, let us know... and let us know what happened...
More when we know more...