Getty ImagesRick Neuheisel had his newspaper ad declaring the monopoly in Los Angeles was over.
New UCLA coach Jim Mora had his “Southern Cal” moment, and now, a more indirect quote about campus safety that could be taken one of two ways.
Appearing on the Roger Lodge radio show, Mora said he makes it a point to tell parents of prospective athletes about the school’s safety, adding “We don’t have murders a block from our campus.”
Harmless enough I guess, until you consider two graduate Chinese students were tragically murdered near the USC campus in April. After Thursday’s practice, Mora elaborated to the LA Times:
“I just said our campus is safe,” Mora said. “I didn’t say anything about anyone else’s campus. I just said it about our campus. I didn’t mention another campus. We don’t have anybody getting murdered a block off of our campus.
“If anybody… is offended by the statement, then that’s their insecurity, not mine.”
When informed of the murders near USC, Mora said “They were? I don’t read the paper, I don’t watch the news. So I don’t know that stuff.”
Whatever you say, bro.
Updated 10:51 p.m. ET: After the brouhaha that erupted from Mora’s comments, the coach issued the following statement:
“After learning of the details of the shootings downtown earlier this year, I can understand how my comments on the radio yesterday can be interpeted as insensitive to the victims and their families. I truly regret and I’m sorry if my words caused any pain.”
Mora doesn’t know diddly-poo about the news.
Jim Mora kind of reminds me of forest gump when he said im not a smart man my Jenny.If he doesnt read the paper or watch the news then what does Jim do.Stupid to say the Southern Cal campus is safe lol.Two Chinese murdered Jim..Read the campus paper.
As a Trojan fan I actually had high hopes for Jim Mora. I actually thought that he was going to be a good coach for UCLA and I still think he will be, And I’m excited about that because it means better competition for a good rivalry. However, not only was this a dumb thing to say, but what a coward he was in his clarification. This was such a clear shot at USC. At least when Neuheisal said outrageous things he stood by them. What is ironic that the two murders that happened recently off of USC’s campus we’re done by a guy claiming to be a UCLA student. I guess that’s public school for you
Crime happens everywhere his campus isn’t any safer than other schools.he knew what he was saying and who he was directing it at. Just tasteless
If the airlines compared safety in their public statements, no one would fly.
The comment was bad enough, it is not like the shootings were a secret, but the explanation was over the top. Not being a man and accepting responsibilty for the comments and apologizing should be telling to future recruits and current players. Accepting responsibilty is not a part of the ucla football program. Sound like a future success and conduit to the nfl? Not to me
Maybe he was talking about Temple
Yea right
“We don’t have members of our coaching staff raping underage boys in the showers while our head coach, athletic director and school president orchestrate a years long cover up to protect our football program from the negative press that might come from having hired a child rapist.
Whoa, whoa, whoa … I never said Penn State. I could have been talking about any school.”
^ ha!
Poor guy can’t recruit by talking about national championships or rose bowl berths. He’s got to try something. Too bad he went with the classless choice. Even less classy to not man up to it.
People give Lane a hard time but I love him. He’s just a little misunderstood. He’s arrogant and confident and that is way better than some passive aggressive douche like Mora.
I’m not positive he was necessarily directing that commet at USC, but it definetly comes off shady. You don’t use a tragedy at another campus as a recruiting tool. If you want to talk about campus safety, I’m more than positive there are other stats about UCLA you cold use. It only seems more likely as a slap at USC, because his defense of his comments following being informed of the murders.
USC is going to murder UCLA that’s gotta be what he meant.
Mora might turn out to be a good coach, but he needs to stay away from radio interviews; remember his Atlanta career ended when he expressed interest in the UW job on a Seattle radio show -while still coaching the Falcons ! The guy is actually very interesting when interviewed, but he seems to still lack the internal filter that a coach must have when speaking publicly; Kiffin used to have the same problem, but now that he’s in in the drivers seat at a major program ( and with a class act like Pat Haden looking over his shoulder), he’s cleaned up his act considerably.
Students being murdered a block from campus IS a big deal, despite what anyone says; you just can’t say it when it appears to be a recruiting ploy…..Agree with Kiffin there, coaches should emphasize their positives and bring in the ones who want to come to their schools and teams, not the ones who are weak – minded enough to be swayed by shots at other schools….
@jkaflagg
Well said. Very well said. Kiffin was a little obnoxious at Tennessee. All of his haters suffer from myopia because they fail to see how he has changed his behavior big time. He’s been nothing but professional since at USC. And yes, Haden is a big reason for that. Haters keep hating and Kiffin channels that so perfectly. Anyone catch Lane’s quotes today about If he would rank USC No. 1? Kiffin had this to say:
“We have less players than everybody else,” Kiffin told USA Today. “So looking at it from the outside, I wouldn’t [vote USC No. 1]. Did I? Yeah, I did.”
Love it! The ole bait and switch! Legend!
You don’t use a tragedy at another campus as a recruiting tool
Yeah I’m sure nobody in the Big 10 is doing that. If you guys think this is something even remotely close to the most insensitive thing a coach has said recruiting a player you either have your head in the sand or have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. Get off the soap box USC because I’m SURE Kiffin NEVER brought up the Sandusky scandal recruiting Silas Redd. Naaaaaaaahhhhh…
My god you guys are either sensitive tools or hypocritical dbags.
What does Mora say when the parents point out that his school is 13 miles from the USC campus?
What does he tell them when they ask about playing in the Coliseum every other year?
What does he tell them when they ask where their kid can go in L.A. off the Westwood campus? Exposition Park ain’t the only place in the vast L.A. basin with crime.
And my question: Why can’t UCLA attract a head coach who isn’t either clueless or just a prick? Or at least one who isn’t an ignoramus when it comes to current events and news?
Oh, and one other thing Jimbo: O.J. Simpson (USC alum) murdered his ex-wife and some innocent waiter about three miles from your campus. Asshole.
Nobody ever got shot at Mr Noodle.
@ningenito78
Kiffin didnt need to bring up the Sandusky situation. I think it was pretty fresh in Silas’ mind
Never mentioned USC. Insecurity?
Yet another coach who is a born liar. Seems to be a trend.
Interestingly enough, it was but a mere couple miles from UCLA’s campus that one of the highest-profile murders occurred: Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. And most believe their killer was O.J. Simpson – of USC football fame! Dripping with irony!
pappabush88: Yeah, that is public school for you. What are USC’s admission standards anyways? A pulse? Some level of literacy? Trust my loser, if you want to argure that USC’s athletic programs are better than UCLA’s (which they are) that is fine; but if you want to talk about admission standards and academics, not ever close. Last I checked, USC’s admission standards are right up there with Cerritos Community College. I think the law school is still tier three and not ABA certified.
Piece. Of. Shit. But he can at least own what a rotten human being he is. Wear it. Don’t come at us with a watered-down, lawyered-up statement that didn’t come from his own mouth.
PLAYOFFS!!!???? WHAT YOU TALKIN’ BOUT PLAYOFFS???!!!
kmori:
USC is the #23 ranked college in the U.S. UCLA is
#25. That’s not only close, but USC is ranked as a better school academically than UCLA. USC is tied with Carnegie Mellon.
College administrators also voted USC No. 11 on a list of “up-and-comers” among institutions that recently have made promising and innovative changes.
Two USC schools were singled out in the rankings for quality: The USC Marshall School of Business was ranked No. 10 nationally and was listed as No. 4 in entrepreneurship and No. 5 in real estate. The USC Viterbi School of Engineering was rated 26th overall.
Among universities around the world? #46.
The USC Gould school of law has been consistently ranked between #15 and #18 by U.S. News and World Report.
As far as required standards for admission, about 26% of applicants are accepted. One in four.
Opinion based on facts can be quite persuasive. Opinion based on fantasy/bias is just laughable.
@kmori7996
How’s your vagina? Cuz u just go bitch slapped
Anyone who disagreed with is commits has obviously never been to USC campus lol he’s telling the truth walk 2 blocks any direction and its a new world
“is commits”? huh?
@ndschwapp
Not sure if anyone truly disagrees with the fact that the area surrounding USC is dangerous. His back pedaling on the topic was pathetic and passive. He should’ve owned it. He knew what he was saying. It was still not very sympathetic to the families that lost loved ones because of an alleged ucla student that killed the two USC foreign exchange students. He also seems to have some bark for a team with no bite.
Pussification of America. He was stating facts is all. Deal with it!
@fnc111
If he was stating facts about USC, then he should’ve owned it like a man
Anyone catch Lane’s quotes today about If he would rank USC No. 1? Kiffin had this to say:
“We have less players than everybody else,” Kiffin told USA Today. “So looking at it from the outside, I wouldn’t [vote USC No. 1]. Did I? Yeah, I did.”
Love it! The ole bait and switch! Legend!
————————————————–
Awesome! Tell the press you wouldn’t vote USC #1, then do it and later use semantics to cover your ass. You think it’s brilliant because he’s at USC.
Kind of like Mora at UCLA. Two peas in a pod.
It will be fun to see the Trojans stumble again. So much hype the last 10 years, but so little to really show for it – one half of a national championship. If you throw in the invalidated title, that’s still less than Alabama and Florida. Maybe a dynasty west of the Mississippi but that’s about it.
So, it will be fun to watch another fail. Hopefully, they’ll be ready for Oregon State this time.
@waynefontes
We don’t play Oregon St this year. I actually thought Lane was messing with the media until I saw the actual interview. Of course they’re taking what he said out of context. When he said he wouldn’t vote USC 1 he was responding to the reporter mentioning that Arizona coach Rich Rod voted USC 1. Lane said he wouldn’t do that, meaning if he were a coach of an opposing team, especially in same conference, he wouldn’t vote USC 1. You can believe whatever you want. Tressel and Mack Brown have been caught lying before about votes. At the end of the day, it’s a freaking preseason poll. Who cares?