Loyalty

 

On a hallowed hill in Tennessee

Like Beacon shining bright

The stately walls of old UT

Rise glorious to the sight.

So here's to you old Tennessee,

Our Alma Mater true

We pledge in love and harmony

Our loyalty to you

Those are the lyrics to the University of Tennessee Alma Mater.  They have been stuck in my head since Saturday night.   Those words started pounding in my head loudly like a Pride of the Southland bass drum following the embarassing 38-13 loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville.  The third straight loss to the Commodores, which is something that has not happened since the 1920s!

The words became even louder in my head after word began to spread that players on the team quit.  They quit coming to practice.  They quit playing hard.  Why?  No one can say for sure.  Speculation is because they didn't want to spend Christmas break preparing for a bowl game in Memphis.  Maybe it was because they didn't like the way Coach Jeremy Pruitt was running the program.

To me, those players who quit are spitting in the face of the players who came before them, who gave their all for Tennessee, the true Vols For Life (VFL), those who truly bled orange.  Those players quit on their teammates, their coaches, their fans and most importantly...their school.

Butch Jones and the former Tennessee staff is responsible for the culture and the current state of the Tennessee program.  They brought in the players that not only quit last season (and cost Jones his job), but also quit this season.

General Neyland had it right.  Look at his game maxims.  Maxim number 3 says: "If at first the game, or the breaks go against you, don't let up... put on more steam."  It doesn't say when the game, or the breaks go against you... quit.

I am sick and tired of watching fans, coaches and players quit on my alma mater.

Loyalty.  That word used to mean something.  But in today's society, it means I am loyal until the times get tough and then I quit.  I quit because it doesn't benefit me anymore.  I quit because all I care about is myself.  THERE IS NO LOYALTY IN QUITTING!!

My parents raised me to believe that loyalty was everything.  When my wife and I are blessed by God and have children of our own, they will know that loyalty is everything.