Following the arrest of former football players Tony Robinson and B. B. Cooper, newspaper allegations arose that Knoxville allergist Dr. Bob Overholt had provided a car to Robinson, loaned cars to other athletes, and allowed Robinson to use his credit card. A former hotel owner, Trent Richey, announced that he had provided more than $100,000 in free lodging to players and coaches of various teams over a multiyear period, and some athletes were quoted in local newspapers as admitting to being given cash by boosters and to selling their complimentary game tickets for large amounts of money.
President Edward J. Boling appointed a committee to investigate, composed of Athletics Director Doug Dickey, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Phil Scheurer, Associate General Counsel Ron Leadbetter, and Athletics Compliance Officer Malcolm McInnis. He announced the appointment a week later. Students and the Student Government Association objected to the exclusion of students from the investigating committee but were denied representation on the basis that addition of members to the committee after fact-finding had been going on for a week would be “cumbersome.”