Although no “real” news is expected to come out of it — at least at this point in time — Southern Cal’s hearing before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions began today amidst a cloud of uncertainty as to what, if anything, the NCAA will ultimately decide.
At issue, of course, is that Reggie Bush and his family were allegedly on the receiving end of illegal benefits from would-be sports marketers during his time at USC, as well as former Trojan basketball player O.J. Mayo receiving cash and other illegal benefits. The school has already self-punished the basketball program for the Mayo case.
At stake? Sanctions that could range anywhere from a slap on the wrist all the way up to major sanctions, which could include the loss of scholarships or a postseason ban. Or both, depending on the findings.
The NCAA could also shock almost anyone not associated with the school and hand down no sanctions.
In their piece ahead of the hearing, the Los Angeles Daily News suggests the NCAA could make an example of USC based on the notoriety (infamy?) the case has brought the sport.
“The NCAA’s been working on this for several years. Don’t you think they might want to make an example of USC?” a high-ranking university official said. “This is the highest-profile case they’ve had in a long time.”
As noted in the opening, no hard information is expected to come from these hearings, which are scheduled to last through Saturday, Feb. 20. It will take an estimated 6-10 weeks for the committee to finalize their report and announce any sanctions.
Based on the tea leaves, however, I wouldn’t hold my breath expecting any major penalties coming the Trojans’ way.
“It will take an estimated 6-10 weeks for the committee to finalize their report and announce any sanctions.”
OK, so why is Seantrel Henderson waiting for any news to decide on whether to finalize his commitment? I guess he has to take Lane Kiffin at his word.
Yes, I laughed as I typed that last sentence.
Bringing down the hammer would be the most fitting thing to happen in college football for some time. This organization is stewing in its own defecation and I certainly hope the NCAA turns up the heat.
If any real journalist made as many mistakes as Scott Wolf has made over the years they would have been fired as the paper would have lost credibility. Since the Daily News has a small circulation he is kept around. Most LA journalist have no respect for him at all.
The problem with sanctions is they don’t punish the guilty. Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll have moved on. So if USC is sanctioned, who pays? The next generation of kids that had nothing to do with any of this. I just wish there were some way to punish the people who actually committed the infractions instead of penalizing a student body and student athletes who weren’t there when any of this occurred.
That program has been tarnished for years. It needs to happen, if only just to serve Kiffin right.
They didn’t hessitate to strip Fla State of wins and titles for their violation and they were pretty up front about it. USC, Pete Carrol and Reggie Bush have been stone-walling the NCAA since this first came to light.
Its time to lower the boom – take the wins, the titles and the Heisman and drop the Death Penalty on the cheating Trojans. They are no different nor any better (tho Trojan fans may think differently) than SMU or Fla State – equal time for equal crime.
Carrol reminds me of Chuck Fairbanks years ago at Oklahoma. He knows there will be consequences but is immune because he’s now a pro coach while the school pays the price. There has to be a way to impose penalties on the parties responsible – whether they are still at the offending university or not – to further discourage this type of activity.
HA! drop the hammer on them USC turds… they desreve whatever punishment they get but the truly guilty will get off scott free (mayo, bush, carroll)
For Pier588 and Deucez2:
Sounds like jealousy to me, pal. Like Deb stated: don’t punish the entire school for one person’s (or a player’s PARENTS) error. How can you compare a prolific cheating scandal involving a large number of athletes at FSU to one player’s parents taking gifts?? You must have gone to a state school…wait…is University of Phoenix (pay a fee, get your degree) a real institution?
For adeem4578:
try using the spell check function before you post your opinion…or did you learn how to spell at “Turd U” ??
‘SC is going to continue to be a national contender in football as well as other sports…
nothing of consequence will happen. Haters will have to stew on that, as well as another top 10 SC team next season.
As a long time supporter, I hate to say it but it might take giving USC the death penalty to stop all of this. Giving it to SMU stopped some teams but giving it to USC would cause a lot of programs to give pause. The program has had its problems and they need to send a message to them and the other major programs that this will not be tolerated. It pains me to say it but man, I believe that either they all follow the rules or no one follows them.
I know that it’s not the same as punishing the guilty party but let’s face it, just what CAN the NCAA to do Reggie Bush – take away his Heisman? Really, do you think that taking that award away from him is going to hurt him? People have already judged him guilty and it still hasn’t hurt. I can see sanctioning the coaches involved, if they ever come back to college but you’re not going to get guys like Reggie to come back and take any medicine and like it or not, SOMEONE has to pay.
i get deb’s point, i really do- but i just can’t muster sympathy for anyone connected to usc. and that is including the newest recruits who volunteered (tenn pun intended) to sleep with the devil by agreeing to play for the dumb little devil.
so here’s hoping the answer to ‘Could the NCAA make example of USC?’ is a resounding YES!!!!
Nothing smells as sweet as USC on probation. That is what restored parity to the Pac-10 in the late eighties and early nineties. Make the cretins pay for their transgressions! I can’t wait to go back to the Rose Bowl!
I sincerely hope USC is forced to bend over and grab their ankles but I doubt they will get anything more than probation and having to vacate wins.
deb,
The NCAA should allow innocent athletes to transfer without sitting out a year if a team is penalized. In a sense, it would be an “extra” incentive for a program to police itself and remain clean.
The NCAA often punishes the present students for the past….look at the UMich basketball stuff.
all,
USC needs to self-impose some sort of sanctions on their football team, much like they did on their basketball team. I don’t see that much of a difference between the Mayo and Bush situations.
It will be difficult from a credibly perspective for the NCAA to do nothing given what happened with Mayo.
Time will tell, but I don’t think that the Trojans will be happy when this is over.
edgy, tell me what exactly USC did wrong? You don’t even understand what’s being alleged. USC is not accused of paying Bush or giving him gifts. An agent (if you could call those crooks agents) allegedly paid for a house lived in by Reggie’s parents and for a Chevy Impala that Reggie drove. Now, yes, USC is supposed to be aware of these things and responsible for it. However, any penalty that comes from something like this is not the same as if the university or a representative/booster of USC gave Bush money or gifts. Please know your facts before comparing this case with SMU or any other. It’s not even as bad as Florida State’s grade scams.
@gator_prof …
Whoa, Nellie! The second you shift out of football, you lose me
I wasn’t speaking specifically to USC but to all cases like this. Several years ago a Bama player was sitting at a bar near campus. An agent approached him and wrote his phone number on a paper napkin the kid pocketed. Coach Stallings heard something about it and asked the kid to come clean. The kid lied through his teeth about it, and Coach believed him. Later it came out that the kid did take the agent’s number. So Alabama ends up on probation. An honest coach and future students and recruits pay the price of not getting to appear in bowl games. Meanwhile, the idiot kid (whose name escapes me) is playing for the Browns.
It’s fine if the new recruits transfer, but it’s not just them paying the price, it’s the whole student body that won’t get to have a bowl game or watch their team contend because of something that happened before they got to the school. But the guilty parties go unpunished. Surely there’s some way to make Bush and his parents accountable for this. At the very least he should be sued to pay back all that money.
The NFL is hand-in-glove with the NCAA. Why can’t the league refuse to do business with agents that violate NCAA rules? Or suspend NFL players without pay if they’re found guilty of violating NCAA rules after they’ve left college?
NJTrojan,
I hear what you are saying and I vividly remember the Tank Black scandal at UF.
The difference is that UF instantly self-reported to the NCAA and UF police actually arrested Black and his associate. USC stonewalled. It doesn’t appear to be an isolated thing with one agent….see McKnight, Joe. Also, if Michaels and Lane were indeed regulars in the Trojan lockerroom, it a huge problem.
The bigger issue isn’t Bush, it’s Mayo. His relationship was with a person that had already caused problems for USC with another player in the past. They didn’t care or at least ignored the past issue. This falls on the AD.
There is a perception of looseness within the USC program. From agents having free access to the locker room and practice field (along with anyone else) to McKnight telling how he got to talk with Reggie prior to signing and then misremembering the events later, to discounted luxury apartments, and lots of pretty cars. There is too much smoke not to have issues.
USC doesn’t have a compliance department the size of a small country like OSU. They can’t hide it nearly as well.
to Mr. TrojanHorse:
Don’t be upset. For the record I have a two degrees from The University of Texas. Remember us? I thought so.
If they are guilty of any wrong doings, they should be punished appropriately. If they are not, then they shouldn’t. The NCAA really doesn’t appear to be in the revenge game our out to get USC or any other big name school just to set an example. I have no problem with the success at USC but if they cheated to get there, then the punishment needs to be suitable to the amount of cheating. If the university didn’t have a part in it, then people need to accept it and move on.
NJTrojan says:
edgy, tell me what exactly USC did wrong? You don’t even understand what’s being alleged.
**********************
I understand the situation a lot better than you think and that’s why I think that the NCAA should pull the trigger. They’ve been reluctant to pull it on major programs like Alabama (early 2000s) or Kentucky (late 1980s) but they have done it to the “little” guys. They need to send a message to everyone by taking down one of these programs. That being said, USC COULD get ahead of the NCAA and self-impose restrictions and if they don’t then they should get the SMU lesson. I’m not recommending that they do it out of a sense of hate for the program because I am a long time fan and supporter but sometimes, you have to put the good of the whole above your loyalty to the program. Besides, USC could survive the death penalty a lot easier than SMU (Hell, if they can survive Paul Hackett, they can survive that).
No more than a slap on the wrist. It’s a big-name program, the NCAA isn’t going to do anything that would keep that program down.
TrojanHorse’sA$$ – LMAO, you must have wrote that stupid comment right after your latest toke up at your neighborhood Hippie Lettuce stand. No jealously here pinhead; especially for a school that has it’s pants around it’s ankles on this one.
Carrol leaving was your first clue that the there was real substance behind this. Add Reggie Bushby’s stone walling stance to the equation and its quite apparent to anyone educated any place but – Trojanman U – that USC is guilty of these accusations the same way they were guilty with Mayo-naise on the Trojanman b-ball team.
The coaches at Fla State had nothing to do with the academic cheating that went on there either – it was the athletes that did it themselves DUMBA$$.
Not to mention – Fla State self reported the problem like a classy school would. Not Trojanman U tho – they continue to deny any responsibility in the Bushby case and only admitted the problem with Mayo-naise and the b-ball team after the NCAA had them dead to rights. Its long past the time for the NCAA to back slam the slimey Trojanman U football program too.
If the same thing happened at any other school – Trojanman U would be leading the charge for sanctions and probation – but not when it comes to their own questionable athletic programs where “win, even if you have to cheat” is the philosophy. If the NCAA does nothing – which I expect – it will be proof that “USC is a perfect example of the bias in college athletics. The NCAA is sending the message that they will pretty much ignore violations as long as your program wins championships year in and year out.” http://bleacherreport.com/articles/117568-the-disappearing-scandals-of-the-usc-trojans
Regardless of where I received my degree – I know I earned it the old fashioned way – by working for it – instead of having it handed to me by a low life, slime coated, “win, even if you have to cheat”, piece of crap, state school like Trojanman U.
If the NCAA gives no penalties at all to USC for this mess, then it will immediately lose what little credibility it has remaining as an enforcer of rules in college athletics. It has been notorious for seemingly-arbitrary decisions and punishments that are based more on what side of the bed the Committee for Infractions woke up on that morning than on precedent and the merits of the case (or how well someone kissed its collective ass). If the NCAA is going to regain any respect, it has to make a statement by giving USC a punishment that is equal to what it would give any other school that is not one of college football’s biggest traditional powers (and one of its biggest cash cows).