Watch: Jones says Tuttle injured face falling on own helmet, rips media

Tennessee coach Butch Jones dismissed rumors of an in-house fight involving Shy Tuttle, telling reporters Monday the defensive tackle was unavailable Saturday because he hurt his face falling on his own helmet.

"Football is an emotional game, it's a competitive game," Jones explained. "The injury was not caused by a teammate. He landed on a helmet."

He then shifted the subject to scrutiny his program has been under.

"This place, with the drama," he said as he began the extended rant.

Jones, who's been made fun of in the past for preaching optimism endlessly, also asked Tennessee fans and reporters to stop being so negative and dropped a "fake news" reference before ending his press conference.