Tennessee fans took their protest of athletic director John Currie to Monday Night RAW this week.
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WWE's flagship show aired live from Thompson-Boling Arena on UT's campus just one day after Currie's attempted hiring of Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano led to a fan protest.
During Monday's Cruiserweight division match, fans chanted "Fire Currie," which was loud enough to be heard clearly during WWE's broadcast.
WWE Monday Night RAW crowd in Knoxville just broke out into a “FIRE CURRIE!” chant #ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/O7L1GtQoJh
— Jack Mac (@JackMacCFB) November 28, 2017
On Monday, Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman reported that several boosters were attempting to drive Currie out of Knoxville, despite having been hired just nine months prior.
Am told there's increasing pressure now from big-money #Vols boosters to force #Tennessee AD John Currie out in the wake of Sunday's news. UT source told me: "This is such a hot mess. Just when you think they’ve gotten out of the ditch. They’ve fallen into a much bigger one.”
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 27, 2017
However, UT chancellor Beverly Davenport seems to be in favor of allowing Currie to continue conducting the coaching search, as noted in an official statement released on Monday:
"....to bring the next head football coach to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.”
— Emily Proud (@emily_proud) November 27, 2017
Tennessee fans protested the reported decision to hire Schiano based having previously worked as a defensive assistant at Penn State under former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted of child molestation stemming from his tenure with the Nittany Lions in 2012.
According to a report, Schiano allegedly knew of Sandusky's sexual abuse and turned a blind eye, according to testimony from former Penn State assistant Mike McQueary that was unsealed in 2016 by a Philadelphia court.
Schiano has denied the allegations in the past, having told ESPN's Adam Schefter: "I never saw any abuse nor had reason to suspect any abuse during my time at Penn State."
Currie released a statement on Monday defending his decision to target Schiano, claiming the university conducted a thorough background check on the coach.
John Currie’s full statement defending his attempt to hire Schiano. He should be apologizing for his mistakes not defending them. pic.twitter.com/6yp28SQuez
— Reed Carringer (@ReedCarringer) November 27, 2017
