Former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl turned down an offer to coach the Dallas Mavericks’ NBA D-League affiliate and instead will join a marketing firm, ESPN.com reported.
Pearl was recently hit with a three-year, show-cause penalty by the NCAA committee on infractions and can’t coach in the college ranks for that period, anyway.
Pearl told ESPN.com part of the decision stemmed from having two children in high school in the KNoxville area and wanting to spend time with them.
“Donnie Nelson was unbelievably gracious and provided a terrific opportunity,” Pearl told ESPN.com Tuesday. “I really thought that was what I was going to do. But I couldn’t leave my children.
“He’s a father and he understood,” Pearl said. “I’ve made a great friend in basketball that I didn’t really know before.”
“There’s nothing more important to the [Texas] Legends than family,” Nelson told ESPN.com, referring to the D-League outfit. “We totally understand and respect Bruce’s decision to stay close to home. There’s been an overwhelming response to our head coaching position. We hope to have some exciting news in the near future.”
Pearl, who studied marketing and economics at Boston College, has signed on as vice president of marketing with H.T. Hackney Co. in Knoxville, Tenn. He starts Thursday
“I’ve known Bruce Pearl for years — his leadership, competitiveness and understanding of marketing is a great fit for our organization,” said CEO Bill Sansom, a former University of Tennessee trustee.
