Tennessee Football: No Reason to Jump on Tyler Bray for Quote About Getting Paid

Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray made headlines on Tuesday for all the wrong reasons.

While meeting with the media during Tennessee's weekly press day, the junior quarterback of the Vols said something that could be perceived as something that would catch the attention of the NCAA, according to Wes Rucker of GVX247.com.

"

Bray: "I'm paid to win games." Reporter: "You're paid?" Bray: "I mean ... my education. That's what the SEC likes to call 'getting paid.'"

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 13, 2012"

The quote will undoubtedly raise the eyebrows of people who think that the Vols are up to no good, and it immediately went viral on the Internet.

But let's pump the brakes on that.

While Bray has been in the spotlight quite a bit during his first three seasons on Rocky Top and is accustomed to being in front of the media, he's still a young man and can sometimes say things that he doesn't mean.

For Bray in particular, the response is a bit more exaggerated due to the fact that he's a high-profile quarterback who threw beer bottles and golf balls at a car from the balcony of an apartment and was cited on July 4 for "hot dogging" on a Jet Ski. 

That's predictable, but also incredibly unfair to Bray.

His use of the phrase "getting paid" was more likely intended to be used as an expression, rather than a statement of fact.

His job as the quarterback of the Vols is to win football games, whether he's paid legally, illegally or via a free education.

Maybe next time, though, he'll choose his words more carefully.

Follow @BarrettSallee