Jeremy Pruitt’s point was it never should have gotten to this.

In the end, though, Jeremy Banks had to be arrested.

Banks, the Tennessee linebacker, was handcuffed early Sunday morning after a records check during a traffic stop revealed he had a suspended license and an active warrant for failure to appear on an earlier charge.

Banks called the Tennessee coach during the traffic stop. That conversation was recorded.

The arresting officer explained to Pruitt that Banks’ routine traffic stop revealed a warrant for the linebacker’s arrest.

“The state of Tennessee issues the warrant,” the officer said. “I have to take him in. I have no choice about that. It if was just a suspended license, I can have discretion on that.”

During the course of the conversation, Pruitt asked why Banks had to be arrested and when the warrant was issued.

“This is the silliest (expletive) I’ve ever seen in my life,” Pruitt said.

The coach explained to the officer that he was of the belief that the warrant for failure to appear was already handled but admitted Banks doesn’t have anyone at home to help him through situations like this.

“I’ve worked in four places and never had no crap like this except for here,” Pruitt said. “So, something’s not right here.”

In the end, Pruitt relented.

“Go ahead,” he said. Do your civic duty, man."

University of Tennessee police said Banks made an illegal U-turn Sunday shortly before 4 a.m. Police said they arrested Banks for having an active warrant for failure to appear in court following a July 17 citation on a charge of driving with a suspended license.

On Tuesday, Banks apologized for the way he interacted with police after video showed Banks using profanity.

“What would you do without that badge, though? That’s all I want to know," Banks asked an officer. “Y’all wouldn’t want to see me without that badge.

“I should’ve ran, test y’all’s speed," Banks said later. "Y’all would’ve never catch me. That’s what I should’ve did. Next time, I am, I promise you. Never again y’all boys will take me to jail. Not UT police.”

At one point, Banks addressed a woman who was with the officer.

“Ma’am, I don’t think you want to be an intern, because where I’m from, we shoot at cops. I’m from Memphis, Tennessee,” he said.

Banks has alternated between linebacker and running back since arriving at Tennessee last year. The sophomore had two interceptions Saturday in a 45-0 victory over Chattanooga, making him the first Tennessee linebacker to pick off two passes in a game since Mark Burns did it against Mississippi in 1981.

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.