Greg Schiano: 5 things to know about the Ohio State coach pursued then dropped by Tennessee

The University of Tennessee severed ties with Ohio State’s defensive coordinator after pursuing him for its vacant head coaching job.

Tennessee had been pursuing Greg Schiano as a replacement for the fired Butch Jones, but the SEC school backed off negotiations Sunday after widespread complaints.

» READ MORE: Tennessee no longer pursuing Ohio State's Schiano after protests

Those complaints focused on Schiano’s background as an assistant at Penn State during Jerry Sandusky’s tenure as the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator. Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in prison for his conviction on 45 counts of sexual abuse.

Here are five things we know now about Schiano:

At Penn State: He worked for late Penn State head coach Joe Paterno from 1990-95, starting as a graduate assistant and then as defensive backs coach.

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His response: He tweeted in 2016 that he never saw abuse or had any reason to suspect it while working at Penn State.

Career path: From 1996-2000, he held assistant coaching jobs with the Chicago Bears in the NFL before returning to the college ranks with the Miami Hurricanes.

Becoming a head coach: He was head coach at Rutgers University for 11 seasons, 2000-2011, before serving as head coach for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2012-13.

» RELATED: Comprehensive coverage of the Ohio State Buckeyes

Joining OSU: He joined the Buckeyes as defensive coordinator in 2015, serving as associate head coach/defensive coordinator to Urban Meyer. In 2016, Schiano was paid $661,256 by OSU, including a $51,000 bonus.

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