NCAA suspends Tennessee LB Arion Carter for 2 games after he repaid an agent for a $427 plane ticket

Tennessee said Wednesday that linebacker Arion Carter has been suspended for the first two games of the 2026 season by the NCAA after he repaid an agent for a flight he took during the NFL's pre-draft process.

Carter explored entering the 2026 NFL Draft before deciding to return for his senior season. As he was looking at entering the draft, an agent paid for a $427 plane ticket. After Carter suffered an injury while working out before the draft, he returned to school and paid for the flight.

However, the NCAA deemed the initial payment of that ticket by the agent to be a Level III violation because players and their families are not allowed to take material benefits from agents, including transportation. And a spokesperson for the school told the Knoxville News Sentinel that Carter had actually been suspended for three games before it was reduced down to two.

"We disagree with the NCAA's ruling on punishing Arion with a multi-game suspension this fall," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. Arion made the right decision for his future health and well-being. He will proudly graduate from Tennessee in public health with Dean's List honors in August. Our team stands behind AC and his family, and we can't wait to be on the field with him during training camp this week."

Carter was Tennessee's third-leading tackler in 2025 despite missing three games because of a foot injury that flared up as he was looking to turn pro. He had 76 stops and six tackles for loss across 10 games. He'll miss the team's Week 1 game against Furman and its Week 2 matchup vs. Georgia Tech.

The suspension shows how the NCAA's rules are still incredibly murky in the NIL era and that its punishments are out of whack too. Thousands of players have agents or people acting as agents to represent them in revenue sharing and endorsement agreements in accordance with NCAA rules.

Yet a flight worth less than $500 — that was paid back in full — is considered so off-limits because it was paid for by an NFL agent that it's initially punishable by a suspension that covers 25% of the regular season.

It's another sign that the NCAA needs to modernize and standardize its rules regarding third-party agents. There's no reason why a player can receive a travel benefit from an agent negotiating an NIL deal but not one who is trying to help him improve his professional prospects.