A college football player just figured out a creative and philanthropic way to stick it to the officials who suspended him.
The NCAA suspended Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter earlier this summer for accepting a $427 flight from an agent after he had declared for the NFL draft in late 2025. After playing through a foot injury during the 2025 season, he aggravated it and needed surgery, ultimately pulling out of the draft and returning to Tennessee to play another season.
He was originally suspended for two games, but the suspension was reduced to just one. That meant Carter missed the season opener against Furman on Sept. 5, but will return to the field when Tennessee faces Georgia Tech on Sept. 12. This was even after Carter had disengaged from the agent and repaid him for the flight in January.
But Carter decided to make the best of his situation and take it a step further by paying it forward. He announced Monday that, starting with the Sept. 12 game, he would begin donating to cancer research for different stats he accumulates this season. For every tackle, he’ll donate $427 (a nod to the amount of the flight that got him in trouble in the first place). And for every sack, he’ll donate $500; $1,000 for every interception or forced fumble; and $5,000 for every defensive touchdown he scores, Volquest reported.
