The Rock on the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee is usually painted to send messages of team pride or to opposing teams before games.
This week, The Rock was used to protest the reported hiring of Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano as the Vols head coach.
The announcement of Schiano, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, was a shock to Tennessee fans, many who had their hearts set on another former Buccaneers coach, John Gruden.
“Wrong Bucs coach. Fire (athletic director John) Currie,” The Rock read on Monday morning.
After an initial report was released Sunday that Tennessee was close to a deal with Schiano, students and fans protested on campus and wrote angry messages aimed at the athletic association online.
The Rock was also painted on Sunday in protest of the hiring and read, "Schiano covered up child rape at Penn State."
The new paint job covers up that unproven claim.
On Sunday, USA Today released a report that referenced a testimony of a former Penn State staff member that Schiano and another assistant coach knew of the a Jerry Sandusky assault while they were assistant coaches at Penn State.
Schiano and the other assistant denied knowledge of any incident or assault.
The AP reported later Sunday prosecutors dismissed the testimony as "double and triple hearsay" and that they had no value.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
