Put yourself in the shoes of the booster who paid Boo Carter to play football for Tennessee.
Feeling pretty good about your investment? Money well spent, huh?
I bet you can’t wait to invest in another Tennessee football player.
I don’t know what Carter’s NIL deal with UT was. Such business arrangements aren’t public knowledge. But I’m sure it was well into the six-figure range. After all, Carter was an SEC All-freshman defensive back in 2024 and was a preseason All-SEC pick this year.
He wasn’t just a promising defensive back. He was a dynamic punt returner. And this spring, he lobbied for more work. He also wanted to play wide receiver.
I was all for it when I believed Carter was a serious football player.
Why limit his athleticism – and he has plenty of it – to tracking down wide receivers, teeing off on ball-carriers and making opponents pay dearly for punting the ball his way?
Throw him the ball, too. Make him a three-way player. And promote him for the Heisman Trophy while you’re at it.
That was my thinking in the spring. We all know better now. This potential three-way player became a no-way player.
Tennessee kicked Carter off the team. My reaction? Better late than never.
Carter’s last act as a Vol was to skip Tennessee’s homecoming game with New Mexico State on Nov. 15. He has skipped out on the Vols before.
In July, Knox News learned that Carter missed multiple team activities during the summers, and his teammates weren’t happy about it.
He probably had a good excuse, though. Maybe, he was battling a summer virus. Or perhaps, he had hired an elite training guru – whom he paid with his hard-earned NIL money – to prepare him for the rigorous challenge of expanding his contributions to Tennessee football.
Coach Josh Heupel didn’t give up on him even though he would have been justified in doing so – and even though some members of his team might regret ever sharing a locker room with Carter.
Heupel said Carter would remain on the team if he met certain conditions. Eventually, the conditions were too much to ask. One of those conditions was showing up for games even when injured.
He initially was listed as “inactive” along with eight other Vols who had incurred injuries. The others managed to make the game.
Carter tried to explain himself on social media. He wrote, in part: “Unfortunately my season has been cut short due to injury. I have decided to enter the transfer portal, and I am excited about the opportunities going forward.”
The appropriate response should be: “Good riddance.”
At the risk of diminishing his enthusiasm for the portal, I can’t resist pointing out he’s overly optimistic to think he will have a high value in the transfer market. The scouting report on him should read something like: “Capable of playing multiple positions but can’t be counted on to play any of them.”
About his injury, which never was listed on the SEC injury report: His mother, Sareca, posted photos of what appears to be a medical report referencing an MRI on Carter’s pelvis on Oct. 19.
Oh, so we are to believe he was playing hurt?
Maybe, somebody should have nominated him for the “Red Badge of Courage.” Think how many times he risked further injury by fair-catching punts.
If Carter and his mother had even a modicum of self-awareness, they would realize they’re embarrassing themselves.
Just take what’s left of your NIL money and go. Then, hope some desperate program won’t do its homework and will welcome you into its football family.
But that’s enough about Carter. Let’s slip back into the shoes of the booster who picked up Carter’s NIL tab.
Imagine getting a call from Heupel, who tells you the Vols are on the short list of a hotshot recruit who could star at wide receiver or defensive back. “Can you help us?” he asks.
Anyone who would answer “how much do you need?” should find himself a good therapist and a financial adviser immediately.
I can understand why Heupel wanted to keep Carter on the team in preseason. He was dealing with an injury-depleted secondary, and Carter can be quite the player when the mood strikes him.
Heupel was asked Nov. 17 if he regretted offering Carter a second chance.
“Not regretful,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s our job as coaches to help mold these guys. It’s part of the commitment we make in the recruiting process.”
But what about a player’s commitment? He’s getting paid – a lot in some cases.
This is pro ball now. Forget about molding young men. Instead, try to make young men accountable.
You also should think about the commitment you made to NIL investors. If you ask them to support a player financially, shouldn’t you at least require the player to live up to his NIL obligations?
Now, put yourself in that booster’s shoes one last time. And think how much money you would have saved if Heupel had kicked Carter off the team in preseason.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
