KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, May 5. NEWS broke in January that the University of Tennessee had terminated head men's coach John Trembley's contract midseason due to gross misconduct. Yesterday, the Knoxville News Sentinel unearthed the reasoning behind the firing — sexually graphic emails, including Craigslist postings looking for “prospective sex partners.”
In response to the news breaking yesterday, Trembley sent the following statement via his lawyer Donald A. Bosch.
“For the past several years, I have been treated for depression,” Trembley wrote. “More recently I have struggled with substance abuse and addiction to fantasy communications with others through the Internet. … I continue to seek and receive treatment and have been substance- and destructive behavior-free for 2012. … I deeply regret any harm leveled on anyone. … It is a beautiful day and it is great to be alive.”
Knoxville law enforcement investigated the allegations against Trembley, and decided yesterday not to charge him with any criminal violations.
Trembley's firing opened the door for Tennessee to continue its move towards merging the men's and women's athletics departments, as head women's coach Matt Kredich was promoted to the head coaching position of a merged program last month.
Full text, including more graphic reporting, available at the Knoxville News Sentinel.