Bruce Pearl fired by Tennessee, source says

(CBS/AP) Tennessee has fired Bruce Pearl after a season that saw the coach charged with unethical conduct for lying to NCAA investigators during a probe into recruiting, a source told CBSSports.com on Monday.

A formal announcement is expected in the next 24 hours. A source told CBSSports.com that Pearl is not expected to hold a press conference.

In six seasons, the 51-year-old Pearl led the Volunteers to their first No. 1 ranking and first NCAA tournament regional finals appearance, missing out on a trip to the 2010 Final Four by a single point.

Pearl's NCAA issues became public last September when the school acknowledged recruiting violations, CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish notes. At the time, Pearl only said that he didn't "tell the truth the first time" NCAA investigators asked him about a violation; he declined to be more specific. CBSSports.com subsequently reported that Pearl's lie centered around a picture that showed Aaron Craft, now a freshman at Ohio State, at Pearl's home while on an unofficial visit in violation of NCAA rules.

UT's notice of allegations confirmed that report.

The program was charged with seven major violations.

Pearl, predictably, was charged with unethical conduct.

Tennessee punished Pearl before the notice of allegations arrived. He was banned from off-campus recruiting for a year, had his salary cut and contract voided, and then the SEC suspended him for eight league games. Still, athletic director Mike Hamilton continued to publicly back Pearl, but that changed last Wednesday when Hamilton appeared on a Knoxville radio station and, to the surprise of the UT staff, said Pearl's job status was unclear and that the school would decide whether to keep its coach at the conclusion of the season.