Tennessee linebacker Quart'e Sapp denied the allegation from coach Jeremy Pruitt that he refused to enter the game during the Vols' loss to Florida on Saturday.
Pruitt told reporters that Sapp wouldn't go in and because of that, he ordered him to leave the game entirely. But in a message posted on Twitter, Sapp said that wasn't the case.
"Never would I disrespect my team, my coaches, my family or the fans by not giving my all for Tennessee," he tweeted. "I'm only going to address the situation publicly once, knowing the current narrative has been created through miscommunication.
"During the UT vs UF game I never was asked nor did I ever refuse to go into the game. There was a sideline confrontation (I'm sure will be resolved internally) that occurred and the other party involved had to be restrained."
While Pruitt seemed to indicate that Sapp's standing with the team moving forward was in question, Sapp wrote that he would continue to be "fully committed" to the program.
Sapp was a key cog in the defense last season with 78 tackles. He has three tackles this season.
Following Tennessee's 47-21 loss to Florida, Pruitt addressed the situation, saying that Sapp had been an ideal player on the team and an "ambassador to the program."
But refusing to go in, as Pruitt said, wouldn't be tolerated.
"He wouldn't go into the game when he was asked to go in," Pruitt said. "I don't know how things were done before, but when you tell somebody to go in and they refuse to go in, we're not going to do that around here. I asked him to leave. He didn't leave on his own. I asked him to leave."
Tennessee, which fell to 2-2 on Saturday, will travel to Georgia this weekend to face the second-ranked Bulldogs.