San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello wants to set the record straight regarding his departure from Tennessee.
Speaking with reporters during a Feb. 16 media availability, Vitello asked the group when they first believed he'd be leaving Tennessee for San Francisco, before rebuffing the idea that his decision was made days in advance of the announcement on Oct. 22.
"That was not reality, at all," Vitello told reporters. "I don't know if (San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations) Buster (Posey) would feel the same way, but that wasn't the case. Somebody decides they think they've got the information, (but) the final blow was about four days later."
"I'm just having a conversation," he added. "Therapy, if you will, from walking out of there."
News of Vitello's departure for San Francisco first dropped on Oct. 18, which was rebutted at the time by Vitello, who told Knox News that, "nothing is done." The hiring was announced Oct. 22.
Vitello says it wasn't until the official announcement that his mind was made up, instead his first priority was ensuring his Tennessee coaching staff was not only on board with his departure, but also set up for future seasons in the event of his move to the Giants.
"I needed confirmation from the coaches that I worked with, that helped boost my status, that they were OK with what was going to go on," Vitello said. "And that they were going to be Ok with their jobs. That staff had always been built as next man up, and all of the sudden that was being threatened.
"It was kind of hard to do something for yourself and your teammates get left behind. But yeah, it was not four days, for what it's worth. That was not the case at all."
Vitello described the day in which the news of his potential departure first released, and the shock that ensued as members of his staff became aware of the initial Oct. 18 report.
"I did a really (expletive) good job at keeping that away from our team, our recruiting and it was not a distraction," Vitello said. "And then all of the sudden in the middle of practice I see our first and third base coach freaking out. And they freaked out on me too, for no reason, because at that point nothing was going to happen."
Vitello was the first sitting college baseball coach to make the direct jump into an MLB manager role without prior professional experience. In eight seasons at Tennessee, he went 341-131, leading the Vols to victory in the 2024 College World Series, while also claiming two SEC regular season titles and two SEC Tournament titles.
Since Vitello's departure, Tennessee has hired Josh Elander as his replacement.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tony Vitello clarifies Tennessee baseball departure for San Francisco Giants