Once the line of Tennessee football fans had cleared out, the food arrived for employees at Window World. A DoorDash driver juggled a brown Firehouse Subs bag in one hand and four soft drinks in the other as she pushed open the glass doors.
She took a step inside, turned to her left and did a double take. Sitting in front of her was linebacker Arion Carter
, there for a meet and greet to sign autographs for fans.There was one football left in the back for Carter to sign, which she excitedly accepted. She then asked to take a picture with Carter. Her family wouldn't believe her without photo evidence.
"My brothers are going to be so mad at me!" she joked.
It was Carter's first public event since he was suspended two games by the NCAA because he returned
to college after his agent had paid for a flight to an NFL pre-draft training facility. He is arguably Tennessee's best defensive player and will sit out the opener against Furman on Sept. 5 at Neyland Stadium and the road game at Georgia Tech on Sept. 12.
UT has criticized the NCAA's decision including some harsh words by coach Josh Heupel. Carter's teammates also came to his defense, like running back DeSean Bishop, who posted a message of support on Instagram with the hashtag #STANDFORAC.
At Window World, a few Tennessee fans did the same. One walked in and said, "They did you wrong for suspending you." Carter responded, "It's all right," and cracked a smile.
Another pointed to some cases of players that signed with NFL teams being able to return to college after they were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana court. "That two game suspension is ridiculous," he said while exiting the store.
But most were just there to meet Carter, get a signed football and have him autograph their Tennessee memorabilia, including cards, photo prints, helmets and hats. The first fan showed up about five hours before Carter at 8 a.m., and by 11 a.m. there was a line forming.
Many attendees shared their excitement that Carter was back for his senior year and wished the team good luck. One wondered aloud who was winning the quarterback battle between freshman Faizon Brandon and sophomore George MacIntyre, to which Carter diplomatically answered, "They're both pretty good."
One of the last fans to cycle through brought a full-size white Tennessee helmet and dapped up Carter as he set it on the table. "Love that you're back with us, man," he said.
Carter told him he appreciated the support and signed the helmet: Arion Carter, #7, Vol for Life.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Fans show support for Tennessee football's Arion Carter, suspended for 2 games
