In case you missed the news, Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer allegedly got a nice little surprise when he showed up in Birmingham today for SEC Media Days: a deposition subpoena. Doug Segrest of the Birmingham News has more details***, but the main thing you need to know is that Fulmer is allegedly to be grilled by the fine barristers of the Birmingham firm of Blankenship, Harrelson & Wollitz on September 25, 2008. As the jazzy old tourism commercials used to say, "There's no place like Booyy-mingham!"
What's of particular interest to fans is that September 25th is the Thursday before the Vols September 27th matchup at . . . Auburn. Whether this will prove to be a) some type of distraction or b) some sort of odd motivational tool for Tennessee, who knows. But this being the S.E.C., it's just bound to be one or the other, right? So, conceivably, an Alabama booster's attorney could theoretically be allegedly helping, albeit unintentionally, Auburn get a leg up on Tennessee. Conspiracy theorists, unite!
And why all the allegedlyness surrounding the story? Because Fulmer denies that he was served with said subpoena. Now, unless the process server handed it to some other rotund man in a hideous orange golf shirt, I have my doubts about that. I was in Birmingham last Sunday and do not recall seeing one single solitary person who looks and dresses like Phil Fulmer. I did see a homeless guy outside the McDonald's on Highway 78 who reminded me a little of Terry Bowden, but that's sort of beside the point, which is that this story could get (even more)interesting. You should probably keep tabs on EDSBS and Garnet and Black Attack, both of whom are liveblogging Media Days, and both of whom I'm sure will be swarming this thing like Tennessee fans in the grilled meat section at the Golden Corral. Stay tuned. Allegedly.
You should certainly click on over and read Doug's reportage, but I can giveyou the Cliff's Notes version: 'Bama booster gets fingered by the NCAA for paying a kid to go to 'Bama (where he didn't qualify) who ultimately ended up having a mariginal career playing at . . . Tennessee. Booster blames Phil Fulmer. Booster's lawyas subpoena Coach Fulmer. Wow, I love SEC football. As Orson likes to point out, it's not that the rest of the country isn't as good at college football. It's that they just don't care nearly as much. At least not enough to subpoena people.