You are correct that the Fulmer issue of not appearing at SEC media day in Birmingham was related to a lwsuit in Tuscaloosa Alabama. The primary difference between the Alabama situation and
OSU is that the NCAA found that two Alabama assistant coaches (Ivy Williams and Ronny Cotrell (sp)) were directly involved in the recruitment (and payment) of Albert Means. That is why Alabama was placed on probation and lost scholarships. There is a lot of bad blood between Tennessee and Alabama. There are a number of lawsuits going on right now that most people outside of Alabama and Tennessee know nothing about. The booster, Logan Young, is on trial in Tennessee. The two coaches, Williams and Cotrell, have sued the NCAA about what happened to them (they are unable to coach). In addition, Fulmer was one of the people who turned Alabama in to the NCAA. This occurred right before the NCAA found that there was nothing to the accusations regarding the academic requirements for football players at Tennessee (another big issue that went away). Alabama fans think this is evidence that the NCAA and Fulmer were out to get Alabama and allowed Tennessee to get away with cheating. The NCAA has stated (I am not sure if it was directly or indirectly) that they did not rely on or need Fulmer's testimony.