University of Tennessee settles with John Currie for $2.5 million

The University of Tennessee announced Thursday a settlement with former Athletic Director John Currie.

The university will pay Currie $2.5 million. His employment with the university ended at 6 p.m. ET. Currie has been suspended since December.

Currie will be paid $2,220,454.60 no later than April 1 and will have his salary up through Thursday.

The money will come out of the school's athletics department and will not involve taxpayer dollars, student tuition or fees or donor funds.

The university's general counsel, Matthew Scoggins, announced the settlement at the Board of Trustees committee meeting held in Memphis Thursday afternoon. The board's audit and compliance committee approved the settlement. It does not have to go before the full board, which is meeting Friday. The settlement had to go before the board because the amount was over $250,000.

The presentation from Scoggins and comments from the board were brief, lasting a total of five minutes at the end of the meeting.

"In my opinion, it is in the university’s best interest to put this behind us and move forward in a positive way," Trustee Brad Lampley said.

Scoggins said he could not provide additional information on why Currie was initially placed on leave.

Ryan Robinson, spokesman for UT Knoxville Chancellor Beverly Davenport, said he could not offer further details on the reason for the settlement or why Currie was put on leave, though the university did release more than 5,000 pages of email and cell phone records related to Currie’s leave following the meeting. No lawsuit was filed in the case.

The university announced Currie's removal Dec. 1 and that he would be replaced with Phillip Fulmer, ending Currie’s eight-month rein as AD.

Currie’s tenure was undone by a chaotic football coaching search after he fired Butch Jones on Nov. 12.

Tennessee was nearing a deal with Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on Nov. 26. Currie and Schiano signed a memorandum of understanding that would have given Schiano a six-year deal, but Davenport and UT’s Chief Financial Officer David L. Miller never signed the document.

"We wish John and his family well in their future endeavors," Davenport said in a release. "We are grateful for his contributions to the University of Tennessee which began more than two decades ago."

Currie could not immediately be reached for comment. Two cell phone numbers listed in records obtained from the university had voicemail boxes that were full or had not been set up. A message left at the office of his attorney, Wayne Ritchie, was not immediately returned late Thursday.

However, the university provided a statement on Currie's behalf.

"Mary Lawrence and I were blessed with the opportunity to return to the city where our three children were born and once again be part of the University of Tennessee family as Vice-Chancellor and Director of Athletics," Currie said. "It was my honor to work alongside our first-class UT athletics staff, coaches and student-athletes as well as our faculty, donors and many wonderful people throughout the University community. I look forward to seeing continued progress for the Vols and Lady Vols under Chancellor Davenport and Coach Fulmer’s leadership."

Reporter Rachel Ohm contributed to this report.

Reach Jennifer Pignolet at jennifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @JenPignolet.