The NCAA reduced Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter’s suspension for receiving an improper benefit from two games to one, athletic director Danny White announced on Tuesday.
Carter received a two-game suspension in July after his agent paid for a $427 flight to a training facility, a Level III violation of NCAA rules, after he declared for the NFL draft.
After Carter sustained an injury during training, he withdrew his name out of April’s draft and rejoined the Volunteers for his senior season.
The reduced suspension will keep him sidelined for No. 20 Tennessee’s season opener against Furman on Sept. 5, but will allow him to return for the team’s Week 2 game at Georgia Tech on Sept. 12.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel announced in a statement last month that Carter repaid his agent for the flight expense.
White, while appreciative of the reduced suspension, still expressed frustration over any penalty for Carter as multiple players who remained in the draft and have participated in NFL training camps are attempting to return to college football.
“While I strongly agree with Josh Heupel’s comment about how ridiculous this is in our current environment, 1 game is better than 2,” White wrote in a statement posted to social media. “If players around the country are allowed to leave NFL camps and play college football, the NCAA should do the right thing and drop it all altogether.
“This is yet another example of applying archaic rules from another era, without evolving and, most importantly, putting student-athletes’ experiences above bureaucracy. Arion doesn’t deserve this unnecessary distraction.”
As a junior in 2025, Carter led the Southeastern Conference with 7.6 tackles per game and earned all-conference honors.
Carter recorded 76 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 10 games last season. He has 161 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and one interception in 31 career games with the Vols.
