Tennessee’s 2nd District: Jason Emert Ad Touts Support for Trump Wall; Hits Butch Jones (Who Isn’t on the Ballot)

Jason Emert

A new Jason Emert ad in the 2nd Congressional GOP Primary race is drawing some national attention, but its because of the sports reference in the ad rather than policy.  The Emert spot takes a shot at former UT football coach Butch Jones, who once made a comment that he would  rebuild the football program “brick by brick.” “Unlike Butch Jones, when I say I’m going to do something, I actually mean it,” Emert says in the ad. But trolling Jones, who once appeared in a Farm Bureau commercial building a brick mailbox, doesn’t end there. In his commercial, which is virtually identical to the Farm Bureau ad featuring Jones, Emert is literally building a brick wall to demonstrate his support for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall. At the end Emert looks at his wall and says: “Brick by brick.” While Jones isn’t on the ballot in August, Emert clearly hopes the creative ad will draw attention to his campaign. Recent polls indicate that Emert is lagging well behind two of his competitors for the vacancy created by the retirement of Congressman Jimmy Duncan. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and State Representative Jimmy Matlock are locked in a heated primary…

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Victor Ashe Commentary: Butch Jones, John Currie, and The University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s $18 Million Dollar Misadventure

by Victor Ashe   It is never fun to voice concern about the University of Tennessee and its spending practices. As a graduate of the UT College of Law, I am proud of my Tennessee law degree. Having attended graduate school there, I wish the following was fiction instead of fact. However, when we learned over the past few weeks that donors to the UT athletic program are having over $18 million diverted from other purposes to fund payouts for three persons who were terminated, one has to wonder: Who is minding the store from a financial standpoint? With the forced departure of Butch Jones as football coach by AD John Currie and now Currie’s departure, preceded by payouts for former AD Dave Hart and Mike Hamilton the total cost potentially exceeds $18 million. That is not pocket change. When UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport fired (suspended) Currie, did she consider the cost involved to the Athletic Department as only 8 months earlier she had signed a contract with Currie on top of his actual salary which would guarantee him $100,000 a month until June, 2022 if fired without cause. Davenport and Currie worked well together until she suddenly removed him…

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CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee Calls Potential Tennessee Coaching Candidate ‘Home Run Hire’

Tennessee’s coaching search is officially underway following the termination of former head football coach Butch Jones on Sunday. Several names have been linked to the Vols’ coaching position for weeks, but CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee believes current Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is the best option. “Mullen would be a home run hire for Currie if…

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