The postgame handshake controversy between Tennessee Volunteers and Texas Tech has taken a fresh turn after new video footage surfaced online. The clip, which offers another angle of the claims on the Vol’s coach, Karen Weekly, has reignited debate among fans, who have demanded an apology for the claims.
On May 30, 2026, both the teams competed against each other at the NCAA Women;s College World Series, which took place at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. This matchup was dominated by Tennessee, who registered a 2-1 win against their opponents, and with this win, they advanced directly to the national semifinals.
Shortly after this race in the post-match press conference, Taylor Pannell, who is in her maiden season with Texas after transferring from Tennessee Volunteers said that coach Weekly taunted her for transferring to another team rather than saying ‘good game during the handshake.
“We were walking through the line just saying ‘good game,’ and she said that I made a mistake instead of saying ‘good game,’ which is kind of crazy,” Pannell told the reporters.
Weekly dismissed the player’s claims, calling it an ‘outright lie’. She urged to rewatch the tape of the handshake line and a video of the same is now making rounds on the internet. In the clip, it is clearly evident that the coach spent the same amount of time with Pannell during the handshake as other players and was seen moving past her after just saying ‘good game.’
This video has infuriated the fans, who are now asking for an apology for the serious accusation. One of them wrote on X:
“@TechAthletics @TexasTechSB Your player made a serious accusation against a coach who has served this game with integrity and respect for decades. If the claim is false, there should be accountability. A public apology or appropriate discipline should be required.”
Another follower highlighted the video as an evidence of Coach Weekly’s innocence, commenting:
“This is proof that Coach Weekly didn’t say anything to her. Pannell owes an apology to her. Could one of the Vols players be responsible for what she says she heard? Possibly, but it definitely wasn’t Weekly. Also, Pannell was very detailed in saying it was in the handshake line when Weekly approached. This was an obvious fabrication. I’m not holding my breath for an apology. This is Texas Tech’s culture. Always the victim, blaming the team that beat them.”
Calling out the Texas Tech team strongly because of Pannell’s claims, one of the users on X wrote:
“Texas Tech is a big problem.. Coach needs to get them under control. Hoping UCLA puts them out tonight. They are out of control first at Florida, then against us, now will be tonight with them playing UCLA Terry will be the next one.”
Asking for an apology, one of the fans wrote:
“@TexasTechSB Weekly deserves a public apology. Video proof she didn’t say anything other than “good game””
What did Tennessee Volunteers’ coach, Karen Weekly say after Taylor Pannell’s transfer?
The tension between the Tennessee Volunteer’s coach, Karen Weekly, and the Texas player, Taylor Pannell, stemmed from a messy transfer portal exit. The latter was an All-SEC player for Tennessee during the 2025 season. Immediately after the Vols’ 2025 season concluded, she entered the portal and committed to Texas Tech on the exact same day.
This made Weekly publicly call out Texas Tech for illegal tampering and premature NIL deals. She also spoke to The Athletic’s Lindsay Schnell, where she weighed in on the matter, saying:
“There’s no question they were in contact with our player long before the season was over. A financial agreement was signed with Texas Tech before she ever went in the portal. [She] told me that,’ said Tennessee’s coach.
After Taylor Pannell accused Coach weekly of taunting her, her father, Brandon Pannell, took a dig at the coach, by writing a tweet on X, which is now deleted.
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