Tennessee linebacker Quart'e Sapp was asked to leave the sideline by first-year Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt after refusing to go into Saturday night's game against Florida.

Pruitt did not say what the fourth-year junior's in-game departure meant for his long-term future with the program.

Sapp only played a couple of snaps against East Tennessee State and was held out of the UTEP game with a bone bruise, but he went through drills normally in practice this week and was available to play in the 47-21 loss to the Gators.

Pruitt said Sapp has been a "great ambassador" for his program, but refusing to enter the game when asked isn't something Tennessee's new coach plans on tolerating.

"You know what, since I've been here Quart'e has been a really good kind of ambassador to our program and done everything that we've asked him to do, but he did, he left the field during the game because he wouldn't go into the game when he was asked to go in," Pruitt explained after losing his first SEC game at Tennessee.

"I don't know how things were done before, but you know, when you tell somebody to go in and they refuse to go in, we're not going to do that around here. I asked him to leave. He didn't leave on his own. I asked him to leave."

Asked about Sapp's status with the team beyond Saturday's incident, Pruitt declined to say.

"Well, I don't think right now is the time to discuss that," he said, "but to me there's no secrets. I mean, it is what it is."

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After enduring two injury-hit seasons in 2015 and 2016, Sapp enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 when he emerged as Tennessee's starting outside linebacker and one of the team's leading tacklers. He shifted to inside linebacker with Tennessee's defensive switch and had a good winter in the weight room, adding 15 pounds to his frame at the request of the coaching staff. He wasn't a starter against West Virginia, but played plenty of snaps while rotating with Daniel Bituli and Darrin Kirkland Jr.

Sophomore Will Ignont has seen increased opportunities the past three games, including on Saturday night, with Sapp dealing with injury and being excused from the sideline during the loss.

Tennessee defensive tackle Shy Tuttle and safety Micah Abernathy, both seniors, declined to comment on the Sapp incident when asked after the game.

The Vols turned the ball over six times to hand Florida 24 points and the Gators added a safety on defense while averaging 7.3 yards per carry in running away with a 47-21 win.