Chris Spognardi, the director of football operations at the University of Tennessee, has been fired by the university.
Spognardi had been on paid administrative leave since August of 2016. Athletic Director Dave Hart informed Spognardi in a letter on December 12th that was obtained by the Knoxville News Sentinel on Tuesday that Spognardi would be terminated due to “gross misconduct” and that “this decision is based on information learned by the University’s Office of Audit and Compliance.” The same News Sentinel report claims Spognardi was fired from his position due to a financial audit that found irregularities related to his job.
As director of football operations, Spognardi’s responsibilities included the day-to-day operations of off the field football matters. Spognardi arrived at Tennessee in 2013 and was an assistant to head football coach Butch Jones. He was promoted to director of football operations in 2014. Spognardi had previously been on staff with Jones at both Cincinnati and Central Michigan.
The University of Tennessee has not yet announced a replacement for Spognardi.
