Pig Howard dismissed from reeling Tennessee football program

Things just keep going from bad to worse in Knoxville, as senior wide receiver Pig Howard has been dismissed from the Tennessee Volunteers program for an unspecified violation of team rules.

ALSO READ: Auburn Tigers Dismiss WR Duke Williams

The team who was looked at as a possible candidate to win the SEC East and become relevant in the national landscape once more keeps taking steps backward. Per GridironNow.com, the 2-3 Volunteers have been dealing with rumors and reports of head coach Butch Jones getting into a physical altercation with a player during fall camp, and now senior wide receiver Pig Howard has reportedly been dismissed by coach Jones.

Here's a shocker from Butch Jones' Wednesday press conference: senior WR Pig Howard has been dismissed from the program
— RockyTopTalk (@RockyTopTalk) October 7, 2015

The announcement comes just days before the No. 19 Georgia Bulldogs are due to arrive in Knoxville in a must-win game for both teams – Georgia needs to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Division, and Tennessee just needs a win against someone besides Western Carolina or Bowling Green.

Howard has dealt with off-field issues throughout his Tennessee career, and has been limited in his play this season due to injuries, having only caught a single pass for just 12 yards. He took a leave of absence from the program prior to the 2014 season to deal with “personal circumstances” and returned for fall camp that season.

Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The loss of Howard probably won’t have a lot of affect on the field against Georgia, but the continued stream of distractions, along with fan and alumni disappointment reaching critical levels, could prove to be a big problem against a ranked team coming in after being spanked by Alabama.

A loss to the Bulldogs could put some serious doubt on Jones’ future in Knoxville. Despite having some of the best recruiting classes in the SEC and the nation under Jones, the Volunteers have the same record (14-16) under Jones that they did under former head coach Derek Dooley in the same number of games.

The reports of disgruntled players considering walking off the team and now the dismissal of a once highly-touted recruit do not bode well for a program that was supposed to be on the way back.

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