Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter is turning his controversial NCAA suspension into an ever-growing donation to fund cancer treatments, Volquest reported.
Carter will make his season debut when No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) plays Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta after serving a one-game suspension.
Volquest.com reported that Carter will donate $427 for each tackle he makes this season, $500 for each sack, $1,000 for each interception or forced fumble and $5,000 for each defensive touchdown he scores.
The donations will go to Nashville-area charities like Sisters Network Nashville, which raises money to pay medical bills for cancer patients. Carter is from Smyrna. His girlfriend, Mariah Bryant, was diagnosed
with stage 2 breast cancer in February, and he will help with her medical bills. She is an ICU nurse in Nashville.
Carter cut his hair to match his girlfriend, who is going through cancer treatment.
Carter will work with his mom’s nonprofit, Girls in Real Life Situations (GIRLS), to facilitate the fundraiser based on his stats.
Why Arion Carter is donating $427 for each tackle
Carter, a 2025 All-SEC performer, should pile up stats and raise money in various ways through his play during the 2026 season.
But he picked $427 to donate for each tackle for a very particular reason. It was a subtle poke at the NCAA.
Carter was suspended by the NCAA for the Vols’ 56-9 win over Furman to open the 2026 season. The association determined that Carter violated NCAA rules because his agent paid for his $427 flight to an NFL pre-draft training facility.
Carter repaid his agent for the flight cost and withdrew from the 2026 NFL Draft before returning to Tennessee, but that didn’t satisfy the NCAA. The decision infuriated UT fans and faced backlash from around college football.
The NCAA initially suspended Carter for three games. Then it reduced it to two games after UT appealed. Then it dropped it to one game after further backlash.
Tennessee took its own shot at the NCAA decision before its game against Furman. The Vols elected Carter as the game captain and then walked alone to midfield to represent the team at the coin toss.
🫡7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/gc1wpxazlI
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 5, 2026
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee LB Arion Carter turns NCAA suspension into donation for cancer treatment | report
