

A football player for the University of Tennessee was exposed in a bad light after video showed him using profanity with UT Police following his September arrest for an outstanding traffic warrant.

Jeremy Banks, a student with UT who is a key player, used profanities and veiled threats against the officers, asking what they would do if they didn’t have powers of arrest.

“What would you do without that badge, though? That’s all I want to know,” Banks said.

Banks was openly belligerent, and even admitted that he should have tried to outrun the police.

“I should’ve ran, test y’all’s speed,” Banks said. “Y’all would’ve never catch me. That’s what I should’ve did. Next time, I am, I promise you. Never again y’all boys will take me to jail. Not UT police.”

Not satisfied with just how deep of a hole he was digging for himself, Banks then made threatening remarks to a woman who was on a ride-along with the officers.

“Ma’am, I don’t think you want to be an intern, because where I’m from, we shoot at cops. I’m from Memphis, Tennessee,” he said.

Once booked, Banks was released on a $500 bond and likely given a chewing out from Vols Coach Jeremy Pruitt.

He eventually apologized for his actions a day or two after the arrest. “I want to sincerely apologize to my family, the University of Tennessee and the law enforcement community,” Banks said in a statement obtained by Knox News. “I deeply regret my language and attitude in the video. I have great respect for our policemen and women, and I am embarrassed by my actions that night. That’s not who I am. I promise to be a better representative for the University of Tennessee moving forward.”

Banks was initially stopped after making an illegal U-turn, and the traffic stop revealed the outstanding warrant, which was for failure to appear in court, the charges being related to driving while his license was suspended.







Pruitt, who Banks called while he was being arrested, was less than understanding when police got on the phone and explained that Banks had to be booked into jail because of his active warrant.

“This is the silliest s*** I’ve ever seen in my life,” Pruitt said during the phone conversation with police. “I’ve got it. I understand. I’ve worked at four places, and I ain’t ever had no crap like this except for here. Because the people usually say, ‘Hey, something’s not right here.”

Pruitt later backed down.

“Go ahead. Do your civic duty, man,” he said.

It is unknown if Pruitt will face any discipline from the University, though he has since stated he will work with Banks on being a better person.

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