Without my own comment...

[tshadow]

...Article says Chuck Webb calls for assistance from team (,fans) and old teammates and did not get it. I'm afraid to give my opinion so I'll hear others.
http://www.knoxnews.com/sports/vols/columnists/mike-strange/chuck-webb-asked-ut-ex-players-for-help-didnt-give-it-to-me-2f22b10d-5461-495d-e053-0100007fe7f2-373939881.html

[VOLMAN]

Not much to form an opinion on in that article....define "help". It sounds like he was asking for someone to pay his bills perhaps I don't know. Does someone get to expect ex-teammates and his school, where he didn't graduate, to bail him out? It's fine for anyone to ask for help, but it's not ok to criticize IMO if you are declined....there's no obligation there IMO it's a decision to be made by those being asked.     

[HerbTarlekVol]

Much ado about nothing, IMO.  Webb called Strange, Strange wrote a column about the call.  If it were walkon Joe Smidlap we would have never known about the call.

I still stand by my opinion that Chuck Webb was the most talented running back (I said most talented, not best) at UT in my lifetime, but he only played 13 games - in part because of the injury he sustained, but in bigger part because he chose to leave instead of rehabbing and coming back to prove he could still play.  The powers that be at UT tried to get him to understand what he was risking by not coming back, but he wouldn't listen.   

Chuck Webb made his own choices.  He has had very little contact with UT or his former UT teams mates and coaches since he left - and that comes from one of those 0-linemen who blocked for him and is very involved in the UT lettermen's organization.  For him to expect folks to jump through hoops for him at this point just isn't realistic. 

[volsboy]

What has he given back to the university? You see a lot of former players remain around the program and involved. Not Webb. I feel for him that things are bad. He was the best UT back I have seen, or at least one of the best. But the article is a little vague in describing the kind of help he needs. If none was offered, he should look in the mirror and realize he burned the wrong bridges. I just know the Vol nation doesn't turn their back on it's own lightly. But oh man, for a brief time he was the best.

[Creek Walker]

I've always been disappointed in his disconnect from the university. He was one of the superstars on campus when I was cutting my teeth on UT football, so I'll never forget what he contributed on the field. And man was it something. He was not only the best UT running back I've ever seen, but I think a healthy Chuck Webb who had played his entire career could have rivaled Hershel Walker. Even at 10 years old, it was a gut-punch when he went down against Pacific.

As I understand it, he was the same way as a player -- didn't associate much with anyone off the field, refused to talk to the media, etc. I'm not sure why he expects handouts now. I'll bet you money that if he had stayed involved with the university over the years, he wouldn't feel ignored now. And while I hate it that he's down on his luck, I absolutely despise players throwing out the bit about colleges and universities making money off their likeness. When was the last time UT made anything off Chuck Webb's likeness? How many tens of thousands of dollars did UT invest in Webb in the form of scholarships, meals, equipment costs, etc., while he was a player? Shouldn't the university have been entitled to make a little money off his likeness? Obviously you can argue that these college programs make far more off the superstar players than they have invested in them, but what's never mentioned is all the non-superstars on the team -- those whose likenesses wouldn't sell a single ticket or apparel item, etc. -- who the university has the same amount of money invested in. Then there are all the other sports, which individually operate in the red, that are propped up by the football program. That's the way it works. That's the way it has to work.

[TheRealOrange]

I don't much care, and there really isn't much there.  All I know is that he was extremely nice to my son when he returned in 2013, and he was great to talk to.     I also agree with HTV; Chuck Webb is easily the most talented running back I have ever seen on the field at UT.     Thanks for the memories, Chuck!   

[murfvol]

I was a huge fan of him on the field, and I'm saddened when folks go through tough times. Some ask for help with different motives than others, and it's not my place to judge.

I'm a private person, so I get it being difficult for an individual to avoid a situation because he doesn't know how he'll be received. Perhaps Webb is similar, and has just worked up the courage to sort things out. I dunno, but hope things work out.