WR Murphy, DB Bailey leave Tennessee’s football team

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Reserve wide receiver Jordan Murphy and defensive back Terrell Bailey have left Tennessee’s football team.

Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said Wednesday during the Southeastern Conference coaches’ teleconference that both players had chosen to leave the program.

Neither Bailey nor Murphy played Saturday in a 38-30 season-opening loss to 26-point underdog Georgia State. Pruitt said Monday that Murphy had been sick over the last week.

Earlier this week, Murphy’s Twitter account retweeted a tweet poking fun at how Georgia State upset Tennessee and received $950,000 to play in the game. The retweet was later deleted.

Murphy, a junior from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, played 10 games and caught 11 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown last season. He also ran for 58 yards on two carries.

Bailey, a sophomore from New Orleans, played four games last season but didn’t post any statistics.

Tennessee (0-1) hosts BYU (0-1) on Saturday.