Arguably no school in recent memory is more aware of the devastating ramifications of an impermissible financial relationship between student-athletes and “outside pimps” than USC.
Not only were near-historic sanctions levied on the Trojans football program over the “arrangement” between Reggie Bush and a pair of would-be marketers, but the basketball program was slapped around a little as well over O.J. Mayo‘s own greed.
In the wake of SI.com confirming what most everybody has always assumed, that some agents are a walking, talking ATM when it comes to big-time collegiate athletes, USC athletic director Pat Haden has issued a reaction to the piece through the school’s official website.
In the statement, and just to let you know he’s very perturbed over the current state of affairs, the former Rhodes Scholar and law school graduate used a bunch of multisyllabic words to express the frustration he’s feeling over what rogue agents are doing to collegiate athletics.
“This is another example of the insidiousness of unscrupulous agents and why it is important that USC and all schools be especially vigilant to the misdeeds of outsiders.
“At USC, in light of the NCAA penalties we’ve received due to the Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo situations, we have already stepped up our NCAA compliance efforts drastically in terms of education and enforcement, and we plan to continue to strengthen those efforts.
“Additionally, we plan on taking a leadership role with the NCAA, Pac-10 and other organizations in developing better methods to combat the destructive work being done by agents who work outside the system.”
That’s all well and good, and should be golf-clapped at minimum, but, as has always been the case, any change to the current financial “climate” in collegiate athletics will come only when states with laws against agents paying players enforce them and/or the NFLPA clamps down on the rogue elements in their industry.
Until then, the human ATMs will remain open for business 24/7.