Tennessee Coach Said Her Players Quit

Kim Caldwell (Tennessee Athletics Photo)

Sometimes there are quotes from coaches that almost sound rehearsed and you can tell they really are not what a coach thinks or maybe would like to say.

Then there are genuine comments from coaches immediately after the game that come more from the heart than the head.

Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell certainly did not mince words after her team lost by 43 points at No. 3 South Carolina.

 “I have a team that will quit on (you),” said Caldwell. “And you can’t do that in big games—or any time in the SEC, but you certainly can’t do that in this program.”

Remember, the Vols are a top 25 team but suffered the worst loss in program history at South Carolina when the Gamecocks shot 69 percent from the field and scored at will.

Then there was Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma who once had this to say about NIL money that often drives fans crazy when a highly paid player is not producing. Obviously, it can infuriate coaches as well based on what Auriemma said.

“I’m okay with them getting paid $100,000, $200,000, $500,000, whatever the number is,” he said. “But I’m also okay with them getting fired if they don’t perform. You can’t have one without the other.”

Well, you can’t have it in professional sports but in today’s college sports world once a player signs a deal to get his or her money, it is coming their way no matter how they play and there is no way they can be fired until the next season.