Ex-Vols Try to Cool Down Fulmer's Hot Seat

Want to know just how toasty the hot seat has gotten for Phillip Fulmer in Knoxville? Several former Tennessee lettermen came together to run an ad in Friday's edition of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. A full reproduction is available on the GoVolsXtra.com website, but the meat of the letter says:

We are proud that Coach Fulmer is the head football coach of our [sic] team.

We're glad that he leads and teaches the young men in our program. For some of us, those young men include our sons and other family members. He is what we want our children to be, and what we work to be more like every day of our lives.

The skills necessary to be successful aren't industry-specific. They include qualities like honesty, clarity of purpose, a daily commitment to improvement, discipline, attention to detail, focus, an incredible work ethic, the ability to work with others and a willingness to learn from adversity.

These skills do not become dated; time does not pass them by.

Coach Fulmer not only possesses these in abundance, he teaches them to young people. He represents the best of what a university can and should be. He prepares young men for life.

The letter is signed by 191 former Vols, ranging from players of the 1970s to this decade and including current NFL players like Peyton Manning, Jason Witten, and Gibril Wilson as well as old-school names like Bill Bates and Dale Jones. Of note is that few recent players' names were attached to the letter; Jonathan Wade ('06) and Jesse Mahelona ('05) were the lone representatives from the last couple of years. Also intriguing (and a little funny): Casey Clausen signed, but not Rick.

That's not to say that other players don't support Fulmer, just that their names weren't attached. There was no mention of who was asked to sign or how the letter was put together.

Interesting is the fact that the letter states Fulmer builds character and prepares young men for life, yet it was signed by Albert Hanesworth... maybe not the best representative for those claims. However, most UT fans wouldn't disagree with the part of the letter quoted above. Fulmer the man has never (or rarely) been questioned by Big Orange supporters. People generally accept that he's a good person who does a lot for the school and community. It's the fact that in three losses this year, Tennessee has looked badly out-coached, out-manned, and out-prepared that has many of the fans and some of the real movers and shakers grumbling on Rocky Top.

There's still a lot of season left, and as of right now Tennessee is in control of whether or not they win the SEC's Eastern division and play for the championship in Atlanta, something that would ostensibly save Fulmer's job. But the fact that this group of players felt that publishing such a letter was necessary speaks volumes toward Fulmer's stability in Knoxville at the moment.

Previously on FanHouse:

SEC Hot Seat Check
SEC Football Preview '07: The Hot Seat
Athlon Puts Fulmer No. 1 on Hot Seat