Da’Rick Rogers suspended, Dooley still cleaning up from Kiffin (UPDATED II)
Da'Rick Rogers was top SEC receiver in 2011. (Raleigh News-Observer)
(Second update with Derek Dooley saying he doesn’t expect Da’Rick Roger to play this season.)
Two years ago, when new Tennessee coach Derek Dooley made his debut at SEC media days, I made note of the first three subjects he was asked about: 1) His mother; 2) His father; 3) A bar fight that included several of his players. Suffice to say, he would welcome more questions about his mother and father again.
Dooley inherited a mess at Tennessee after the sudden departure of Lane Kiffin. That’s no secret. The fact that the guy’s job might be on the line this season is unfortunate because the image of the team and the character problems of too many players that he inherited takes a while to overcome.
The latest example: Da’Rick Rogers. The talented but often troubled wide receiver from Calhoun, who nearly signed with Georgia in 2010, was suspended indefinitely Thursday by Dooley. No reason was given, other than the standard, “violation of team rules.”
UPDATE: Dooley told the Knoxville News that “our expectation is” that Rogers won’t return to the program. Translation: Expect him to transfer.
But given that there has been no report of an arrest — or another bar fight — use your imagination.
The suspension appears open ended for now, but Rogers is not listed on Tennessee’s depth chart.
Tennessee probably wasn’t going to challenge for the SEC East title this season, anyway. But it has (or had) the potential to be decent and upset some teams. From a talent standpoint, Rogers’ loss would be significant. He led the SEC last season with 67 receptions, and was second with 1,040 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches.
But don’t blame Dooley for what’s going on in Knoxville. If we still don’t know how great of a coach he is, we can at least be certain Kiffin left him a rather large and malodorous bag.
(Many point out that Da’Rick Rogers was a Derek Dooley recruit in 2010. That is technically accurate. However, Rogers initially backed off his Georgia commitment to hear the recruiting pitches from then-Tennessee coaches Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron. It was Kiffin who offered Rogers and high school teammate Nash Nance the opportunity to go to Tennessee as a package deal, an offer that Dooley confirmed after he got the job. So, yes, Dooley shares some responsibility. I also wanted to added that rumors circulated that Rogers was interested in transferring to Georgia State in the spring, but that obviously never happened.)
In May, Dooley dismissed sophomore tight end Cameron Clear (yes, a Dooley recruit) following an arrest for felony theft charges. Last year he kicked off safety Janzen Jackson (a Kiffin recruit). Dooley said only that Jackson’s “personal issues” led to the suspension, but added, “I will always be there to help him as a person, but there comes a time when a player’s actions preclude him from the privilege of playing for [Tennessee].”
There have been multiple other suspensions. Sophomore safety Darren Myles Jr. was dismissed from the team and others were suspended for the aforementioned bar brawl, which took place not long after his hiring.
Rogers also was involved in that incident. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. But the charges ultimately were dropped and Dooley chose not to suspend him. That was one time when giving a kid a break backfired. Rogers was banned for two weeks this past spring for offseason activities for unspecified reasons.
Referencing Tennessee’s problems in 2010, Dooley said, “I wish I could snap my fingers, but it just doesn’t work that way. It takes time.”
Problem being that SEC coaches don’t get a lot of that, regardless of whose fault it is.
By Jeff Schultz
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349 comments Add your comment
Spanky
August 23rd, 2012
1:35 pm
JB, that’s what I said earlier about Petrino!! He’s eager to coach in the SEC, and there are a plethera of hottie-assistants in Knox-vegas!
Tide Rising
August 23rd, 2012
1:35 pm
“If you listen to all the idiots that come on UGA blogs you would think Mark Richt is the ONLY one with discipline problems.”
Nope. Nobody is saying Richt is the ONLY one with discipline problems. He just happens to be the one with the MOST discipline problems is all.
Ghost
August 23rd, 2012
1:35 pm
This was the one position Tenn. Could afford to lose a player. They have an outstanding O line and should still be able to put up good numbers on offense., the defense has several ??????????????????????????????????????????????. Little Dooley may be done if they don’t pull out 8 wins folks in Knoxville aren’t the most patient bunch.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
1:37 pm
kerryb, maybe, but I think Fulmer is on the north side of 60 now, and I don’t think they ” relive” the Fulmer era. They ought to take a page from Bama and decide on who they want and make it where they can’ say no.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
1:37 pm
s/b can’t say no
JB
August 23rd, 2012
1:39 pm
Spanky, and he would be broke and legally able to go after them
jim
August 23rd, 2012
1:39 pm
Think Dooley is probably a fine person and a fine coach. Having said that, after what was done to Fulmer, anyone coming in should know the snake pit that is there. If Dooley is not given time, he should have known what to expect.
Spanky
August 23rd, 2012
1:40 pm
kerry, I really hope you’re right, and I do loathe Petrino, but it’s hard to avoid the fact that he made the hawgs legit! UT hired Kiffen, so they really aren’t looking for morales here! They wanna hear that stupid Rocky-Top song as many times as possible…who knows!
Let me explain HOW these kids look at 3 years and done
August 23rd, 2012
1:40 pm
Today’s all world athletes do not sign with a school because of their traditions and the school colors and state wide adoration and fame. No, they are looking at the NFL in 3. END OF STORY.
Rogers figures that he could sit this year out or go to a 4 yr school with football and do very well …………Montgomery State and play ONE more year. Come next Feb … we are what? less than 9 months away? and sign then with any NFL team and make millions.
These kids are just marking time and we need to drop kick them when they cause problems.
Gooooooooooooooooo Dogs.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
1:40 pm
Petrino WILL turn up somewhere in 13.
ShoeBooty
August 23rd, 2012
1:41 pm
How much longer is Dooley going to get a freaking pass with the media putting anything negative that happens to the Vols on Kiffin? My guess if his name was Derek Baxter instead of Derek (Son of a Legendary Coach), this would not be happening. Meanwhile, Kiffin inherited a crap situation at USC and in the same amount of time has them in the hunt for a MNC this season. Good gracious. They both left their respective coaching positions at bad times, Kiffin leaves UT for USC and Dooley leaves La. Tech for UT. But one is the Devil and one is a great coach who had everything seemingly put on him by said Devil!!!
Spanky
August 23rd, 2012
1:42 pm
JB, he’ll coax them onto his huffy! LOL
uh huh...
August 23rd, 2012
1:42 pm
right on the money, tide rising. the georgia koolaiders believe that St. Richt is beyond reproach and that he is being picked on because he is such a FINE man. Funny how a lot of this stuff dissapears when you start to win some big games…….
as a georgia fan, i don’t think that’s gonna happen any time soon.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
August 23rd, 2012
1:42 pm
Hell, put Duhhh-Rick on unofficial probation and make Barbara Dooley his Probation Officer.
Problem solved.
Yep.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
1:43 pm
Me thinks by 13, maybe 14, there will be new coach’s in Gainesville and Knoxville. Saban and miles are locked in….And Richt will only leave on his own if gone,he will never be fired.
AJC
August 23rd, 2012
1:44 pm
Mark Richt has lost control of the UT football program!!
Spanky
August 23rd, 2012
1:44 pm
If Joker doesn’t work out at Kentucky, I could see them flirting with Petrino…
whatyoutalkinboutwillis
August 23rd, 2012
1:45 pm
After this year they can quit blaming Bush, err, I mean Kiffin….hehehe
Somebody in charge NOW has to be responsible.
Dangerous
August 23rd, 2012
1:45 pm
kerryb, it is just that simple.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
1:46 pm
Probably not sitting well in Knoxville that Kiffin has USC pre season #1
Is tide rising a tech troll?
August 23rd, 2012
1:47 pm
“Nope. Nobody is saying Richt is the ONLY one with discipline problems. He just happens to be the one with the MOST discipline problems is all.”
I think you may want to rethink that one. Ark, Fla, Tenn,Auburn South Carolina, are just the programs in the SEC with many more recent problems than UGA.
Why would a Alabama fan give a rats butt about UGA, we aren’t big Rivals , Richt is 3-1 vs Bama and has won 2 of the last 3 games he coached against Saban. and the series is tied 5-5 since 1980. Perhaps you should be more concerned with having a losing record vs LSU, Auburn over the past several years , and the NCAA snooping around again.
bitter wide dumb a$$ reciever
August 23rd, 2012
1:47 pm
DA’PRICK has left the stage and is now on DA’ BUS——–HAHAHAHAHAH
Rocky top——hahahahah—-loosers
sorry momma....I'll wear red and black again
August 23rd, 2012
1:47 pm
need to hurry up and get Barbara and Vince out of ugly orange.
Abnerish
August 23rd, 2012
1:48 pm
UK is fine with Calipari as their MBB coach, so why wouldn’t they be ok with Petrino? Both are shady characters that will do anything to win. Seems like a good match to me.
Dawg Haus
August 23rd, 2012
1:49 pm
Da’Rick and the Honey Badger should team up with Crowell to form an FCS team of the century!
Woodall
August 23rd, 2012
1:50 pm
ShoeBooty, interesting comparison between Kiffin and Dooley. Is Kiffin that much better, or did he start out at USC situation that was better off than Dooley’s at K-ville? Jeff, any thoughts on the matter?
USMC
August 23rd, 2012
1:50 pm
“Nance is now at someplace called Hampden-Sydney college in Virginia.”–Jeff Schultz
LOL!
BOY, you ain’t from these parts are ye???
Jeff, your Leftwing, Hollywood, SoCal background is showing.
“someplace” called Hampden-Sydney??? LOL!
Danimal
August 23rd, 2012
1:50 pm
I wanna see Weiss back in the SEC! It was fun watching his fat-butt sweat it out on the sidelines!
BG
August 23rd, 2012
1:53 pm
Jeff, How many second chances is Dooley going to give Rogers? If I was a betting man I would bet money that Rogers will be playing by the time the Georgia game gets here. Dooley needs to man up and give Rogers the boot!
ShoeBooty
August 23rd, 2012
1:56 pm
I guess USC media and Kiffin should be blaming Reggie Bush and Pete Carrol for leaving them in a situation out there where scholarship reductions and bowl bans have only been bested by the sanctions levied at Penn State. No, nevermind, they just seem to be winning. He’s no saint, but the situation at USC was much worse than the situation at UT as far as bowl bans, scholarship reductions and the ability for a player to transfer at any point without having to sit out. But again, when you are Derek (son of legendary coach from these parts), you can’t be the one at fault, it’s got to be someone else’s fault. Why do I get the feeling that Derek growing up, it was never Derek’s fault when anything went down???
due-dad
August 23rd, 2012
1:56 pm
Dooley is a good coach but probably needs more that this year to turn it around – which is why most coaches are five year contracts – things could be worse – Vols don’t have to compete in the SEC west
The U !!!
August 23rd, 2012
1:56 pm
Hey Petrino!! Come to Miami!! What problem?! We don’t see a problem!! I’ll send a limo…
Tide Rising
August 23rd, 2012
1:57 pm
“Richt is 3-1 vs Bama and has won 2 of the last 3 games he coached against Saban. and the series is tied 5-5 since 1980.”
Always fun to cherry pick stats aint it? Well here’s some stats for ya since we’re cherry picking. Saban is 3-2 against Richt, Bama has won 4 of the last 7 vs Georgia, and Bama leads the alltime head to head series by double digits 36-25.
“Perhaps you should be more concerned with having a losing record vs LSU, Auburn over the past several years , and the NCAA snooping around again.”
We’ve nearly doubled up LSU in alltime wins leading 46-25. LSU and AU have led the series in the EARLY 2000s only due to Bama’s probation in the early 2000s. And also you might want to check your recent history. We’ve beaten LSU 3 of the last 5 games we played them and we’ve beaten AU 3 of the last 4 games. So your premise that they’ve dominated lately is complete BS. As for the NCAA snooping around that’s also completely bogus. But its fun to live in fantasy land isn’t it.You’re full of it son.
Skitty Fritty
August 23rd, 2012
1:58 pm
Da’Rick should transfer to Alabama St. and talk the Honey Badger into transferring to Alabama St. and challenge the big boys since Crowell is there also. Greg Reid could join them also. It could become the outlaw school of the South.
STATEment
August 23rd, 2012
2:01 pm
GSU,GSU,GSU,GSU
SC Old Dawg
August 23rd, 2012
2:01 pm
Maybe we should pay the players…..or in this case, the fans…
Dangerous
August 23rd, 2012
2:02 pm
Calipari isn’t f#&@ing students and yes Kiffin is in a far better situation than Dooley… far less competition and no signifcant D’s to go up against. It is who can outscore his opponent. Kiffin can run an O.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
2:05 pm
How is Crowell going to help Bama St with 7 or 8 carries a game?
SEC Fact Finder
August 23rd, 2012
2:06 pm
You have to respect Dooley! His seat is hot and he still is disciplining his team.
Makes you wonder what Kiffin is allowing his players to get away with.
Dawglasville
August 23rd, 2012
2:07 pm
I see Ole Miss making a run at Petrino. Look at what that school put up with Nutt and the guys he took chances on.
haha
August 23rd, 2012
2:07 pm
darick rogers is 5 months away from becoming a very wealthy man.
Dooley just basically did him a huge favor.
sometimes certain people have to learn the hard way.
ha haha ha hahah:)
USMC
August 23rd, 2012
2:09 pm
“JB, no one is touching or even talking about Petrino in the near future. He would be lucking to get a Jr college gig right now or anytime in the future. I think Fulmer has more of a chance of going back to UT than them going after Petrino.”–kerryb
Remember my telling you this Kerryb, Petrino WILL be the Headcoach at a major university(SEC, Big 10, ACC, etc.) within two years; may be sooner like NEXT year….. Remember.
Whether you like him or not, the guy can flat out coach college football. He is an offensive genius; on the college level.
KD
August 23rd, 2012
2:12 pm
Is the QB that was the other part of the package deal on Tenn. depth chart ?
Linda
August 23rd, 2012
2:14 pm
Don’t blame Lane for the overall quality of kids you have down there. Back home at USC, Lane and staff are pulling in 5* recruits, with 5* character. Lane recruited Matt Barkley to USC when Matt was a sophomore, and he loves his coach, along with all his teammates….16 of which spent their spring break on a humanitarian mission to Haiti. The coach hasn’t changed, the region he is coaching has.
JB
August 23rd, 2012
2:14 pm
Me thinks D’Rick won’t even make an NFL roster. look at his body of work as compared to say Jones from Bama and AJ from UGA. There is no comparison.
Buckeye
August 23rd, 2012
2:16 pm
si.com has the dogs #2 in the Least. Go Cocks and Mr. Lattimore.
Buckeye
August 23rd, 2012
2:20 pm
si.com predicting the dogs will be #2 in the SEC! SEC! Least.
Go ‘Cocks and Mr. Lattimore
Athens Cops
August 23rd, 2012
2:20 pm
Don’t be dissing the Athens cops. Just think how hard it is to keep the peace in Athens with all the Gangsta Thugs that da Preacha Man recruits. He goes to great lengths to keep away from them, sometimes as far away as Honduras. I guess the Hondurans need more love than the football rappin ghetto dawgs.
DostaDawg
August 23rd, 2012
2:20 pm
Thanx Jeff. I thank he will play @ Tenn. this year and be a late 1st rd. pick. Seem’s like NFL love’s talented\headcase’s-as/in Dez Bryant,etc.
Buckeye
August 23rd, 2012
2:21 pm
si.com has the dogs #2 in the SEC! SEC! Least.