Jeremy Pruitt On Work-Life Balance: "I Married A Woman Who Wants Me To Be A Football Coach. That's How I Balance."
Jeremy Pruitt is fresh off a national championship as the defensive coordinator for Alabama. The day after the national championship, Pruitt started his new job on Rocky Top as the head coach.
Since then, Pruitt put together a phenomenal recruiting class considering the situation. Being named head coach only two weeks before early national signing day while continuing to be the defensive coordinator of a national championship team was a tough hand dealt for Tennessee’s program, but they finished with the 20th best class in the nation. That’s without mentioning the dumpster fire he entered into because of Butch Jones, #GRUMORs, and the hire/firing of Greg Schiano. Tennessee fans were happy with Pruitt’s 2018 class considering the situation, so they filled a theatre to listen to Pruitt talk about a bunch of teenagers:
There, he trotted out his final coaching staff, which all look exactly like him:
Fans got to ask Pruitt a few questions at this event. Taking that when you are a coach of an SEC team, you are a living, walking God in your college town, the Vols fans wanted a little self-help from Pruitt. If you had a chance to ask Zeus a question, I’m guessing you would too. That question? Work-life balance, how do you handle it, coach?
A better way to answer this would have been, “I have no work-life balance. None at all.”
I’ve talked a bunch in the past in qualifications to be an official #FootballGuy. One of which is how you talk about your wife. If you don’t mention the phrase “football wife” once or twice as a coach, you aren’t a true #FootballGuy:
Some may look at Pruitt’s comment and scream sexism. I’m not going to say you are wrong, but please do understand, as a first-year head coach with a fan base that can turn on you as fast you can snap your fingers, Pruitt’s got to please the masses. Dinner date with wife? Shoulda been crootin. What about a walk with the wife around the block? That’s 30 minutes ya shoulda been watching film, PAWL!
If I come back to this world after I die and I’m a football coach, I’m not admitting to anything except loving football. No hobbies. No girl friend. No NOTHING. I don’t have a family.
“What was your fathers influence on your life?” “I don’t have a dad. My family is my team.”
Pruitt’s answer is a bit over the top if you don’t understand SEC football, but I actually believe him. Look at this clip from Two-A-Days where Pruitt has zero-idea what asparagus is:
No time for vegetables when you are a future SEC head coach ya’ll.