Bruce Pearl, head basketball coach at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, has endorsed Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam for governor, and is currently on a statewide tour where the two are appearing jointly in get-out-the-vote rallies. (For any local readers interested, the pair will be in Chattanooga Tuesday afternoon, August 3rd, at the Doubletree Hotel downtown, at 5:00 p.m.)

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, who represents Tennessee’s Third Congressional District and is also seeking the gubernatorial post, says that Pearl should not be appearing on the campaign trail with Haslam, nor making endorsements in the race, in part because his salary is paid by all taxpayers, and because UTK is the flagship state university campus for all Tennesseans.

I’d like to hear your thoughts. Here are some questions to get things rolling. If Pearl had instead picked Wamp, would the latter have rejected the endorsement? For that matter, would Haslam be similarly calling foul?

How much is this related to the relative amount of “clout” that this particular university employee brings as a nationally recognized athletic leader, versus a member of the administration, faculty, or staff whom people would be, well, less interested in seeing?

A factor that is more specific to this situation is the Haslam family’s significant financial support of the university. Does that add complications?

You are invited to share your thoughts in the Comments.