WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsReports: Brown will not be released from scholarship

Reports: Brown will not be released from scholarship

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WRCB) -- The Bryce Brown saga appears to be nearing a close in Knoxville, but its conclusion is just as dramatic as the beginning.

ESPN.com first reported Friday night Brown will not be granted a release from his scholarship by first-year Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley.

Bryce's father, Arthur Brown, told ESPN's Joe Schaad his son has asked for a release specifically to transfer to Kansas State, which has long been presumed as his destination of choice.

Dooley cited the same three criteria in his decision on Brown that he's used in his four other transfer requests from UT players this summer: the player's personal investment in the program; what harm the player's departure would cause the program; and how the player handled the situation as a person.

Much has been made of the third criteria, with reports that Brown requested his release via text message after skipping a scheduled face-to-face meeting with Dooley.

Dooley confirmed to ESPN that he met with Brown briefly last Saturday, but the topic of a release or transfer was not discussed. Dooley said Brown later requested the release in a text on Tuesday night, but was adamant that move played no role in the final decision.

"I'm not mad at Bryce," Dooley told the Knoxville News-Sentinel Friday night. "I've got a lot of respect for Bryce as a person, and I have a lot of respect for the family. This is not a personal issue.

"It's a professional issue, and I have an obligation to protect our organization."

Dooley's decision not to grant a release does not stop Brown from enrolling in another school, it just means the player will have to pay his own way wherever he goes while he sits out his transfer year.

Arthur Brown told ESPN he told Dooley for months he wants his son released from UT as a family decision. Brown's brother plays at Kansas State.

Brown, who was the top-ranked recruit in the country in 2009 and the crown jewel of Lane Kiffin's only recruiting class at Tennessee, joins quarterback Nick Stephens, wide receiver Todd Campbell, offensive tackle Aaron Douglas, and quarterback Nick Lamaison in requesting a release from Dooley.

Stephens and Campbell were granted their release and left on good terms, Douglas was released with limitations, while Lamaison is facing the same situation as Brown.

Wherever Brown ends up, Dooley's decision will hopefully bring to a close the drawn-out saga that began when the running back was a no-show for the first day of spring camp.