KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- According to a letter from Tennessee officials notifying Bruce Pearl his contract would be terminated, the Volunteers coach told men's basketball recruits and their families that a visit to his home for a team cookout would be an NCAA violation.
The letter, released Tuesday by the university, outlines the reasons why athletics director Mike Hamilton ended Pearl's contract. The letter also states Pearl told the recruits he would not report the violation and asked that they do the same.
Tennessee is under investigation by the NCAA because of recruiting practices by Pearl and his staff. The coach has acknowledged he mislead the NCAA and Hamilton has punished Pearl by docking his salary by $1.5 million and banning him from off-campus recruiting for a year.
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