Who dat not being accountable on Vols' staff?

HOOVER, Ala. — The “A” should stand out when you look at Tennessee’s “D.A.T.” motto for the upcoming season.

The “D” is for details and the “T” for toughness. But the “A” for accountability seems more significant in an era when everyone is so reluctant to accept blame.

You don’t have to look further than Tennessee coach Butch Jones’ staff for an example.

Who dat not being accountable?

UT second-year defensive coordinator Bob Shoop is being sued by Penn State, his previous employer.

Penn State is seeking $891,856 from its former defensive coordinator, based on the resignation clause in Shoop’s contract, which states that if he resigned before 2018, he would be obligated to pay Penn State liquidated damages of 50 percent of his base pay.

The contract stated that Shoop could avoid paying Penn State if he became a head coach within a year of leaving the program.

He didn’t get a head coaching job. In fact, based on how Tennessee performed in 2016, it’s a wonder he’s still employed as defensive coordinator.

Jones was asked at SEC Football Media Days on Monday if he were concerned that at the same time he was stressing accountability, his defensive coordinator was being sued for failing to live up to a contract.

"No, not at all," Jones said. "I think there's a lot of things people don't know. And that's a personal thing with Bob."

Who dat lawyering up?

We learned more last week when Shoop responded to Penn State’s suit by filing a suit of his own through his attorney. The suit stated that he left Penn State because of “intolerable” working conditions, according to PennLive’s report last week.

He also said he “was constructively discharged/terminated from, or forced or compelled to leave his employment with Penn State,” the PennLive story stated.

Almost sounds as though he were fired, which makes you wonder why Tennessee was so eager to hire him.

Who dat putting a gun to Shoop’s head?

You can take any side of a legal argument. But you can't argue that Shoop signed a contract with Penn State.

Maybe you believe that someone in the Penn State athletic department stuck a gun to Shoop’s head and ordered him to sign the contract. In that case, he really was operating under duress and deserves to be compensated handsomely.

A more reasonable conclusion is that Shoop assumed he never would be forced to repay the Nittany Lions. After all, given Penn State’s recent in-court issues, it’s the last program that would want publicity from a lawsuit (Google "Jerry Sandusky" for details).

Or perhaps Shoop thought he could swoop into Knoxville, raise a presumably talented defense to new heights and leave town with a head coaching job. That wasn’t happening after the Vols gave up 28.9 points and 449.2 yards per game.

Who dat making excuses?

In a recent interview with WNML sports director Jimmy Hyams, Shoop defended his defense with excuses. The synopsis: His defense was hurt early and tired late.

Guess the middle initial of the team motto slipped his mind. Otherwise, he would have added to the injuries and fatigue: “ … and the first-year defensive coordinator had a lousy season.”

Reach John Adams at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @johnadamskns.