NCAA punishes USC - Reggie Bush, OJ Mayo, Dwayne Jarrett, Joe McKnight investigation

[Fungo Squiggly]

Because the house was only worth a mere $300K (IIRC), but a college education is priceless.

You see, the text books were actually worth more than the trivial little house (and car, and monthly stipends) that the Bushes received, therefore USC should not be punished for what they did as it is no where near as severe as what had happened at Bama.

That may be true for most colleges, but this is 'Bama we're talking about.

The only thing they've got going for them is that they aren't as bad as Auburn.

 

[osuteke]

USC athletics

"
But there is a bigger picture here. Southern Cal is also under investigation for providing former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush's family with a free house and other assorted improper benefits.
The NCAA is going to roll both cases into one, which spells big trouble for Southern Cal's reputation and future."

Most of the pice is about Floyd, but this bit makes me think the USC football program right now better be squeeky clean, as the FEDS are also investigating the entire athletic department.

 

[BB73]

Bill Plaschke calls out the AD and the USC President.

LATimes

USC's lack of leadership during hard times is revealing

University President Steven B. Sample and Athletic Director Mike Garrett are doing little to quell the chaos surrounding the athletic program, which intensified with Floyd's resignation.

Finally, USC speaks!

Actually, no, the university on Wednesday again refused to discuss the public disintegration of one of its marquee assets -- the blowing up of the men's basketball program -- but I dug up a quote anyway.

The following is an excerpt from President Steven B. Sample's annual address to the faculty, delivered Feb. 10, 2009:

"I have learned that difficult times often bring out the best in us. Complex challenges have a way of focusing our attention on what is essential. They remind us of our core values."

So now we know.

These being difficult times in Trojans athletics, USC's best is to duck and cover and forgo all public accountability.

These complex challenges apparently require Sample to protect sports programs to the detriment of the rest of the university.

All of which remind us that Sample's core values apparently don't include an interest in maintaining control of his cash cows.

Memo to the many esteemed educators employed by USC: This is how you want your workplace to be perceived?

Memo to the many National Merit Scholars and high SAT scorers who have recently been drawn to USC: This is where you want to spend your next four years?

At a place where the ethical standards in the classroom are apparently far different from those in the locker room? At a place that preaches leadership but practices gamesmanship?

I have purposely tried to stay out of this fray for months, figuring that it was unfair to make sweeping generalizations until the NCAA investigation into the football and basketball programs was complete.

But, now that arguably the best basketball coach in the school's history has bolted town in the middle of the night, leaving behind at least $1 million, well, c'mon.

And now that arguably the best returning group of players in the school's history have all bolted for pro basketball even though most of them will never get close to the NBA, well, seriously.

It is clear that Coach Tim Floyd bolted -- or was pushed -- off the mountain just ahead of an NCAA avalanche. It is obvious that his players, realizing the likelihood of sanctions coming after Yahoo Sports broke the news of alleged payments to O.J. Mayo's handler, also disappeared ahead of the chaos.

So many issues. Such a small Sample of leadership.

And the university president isn't the only boss coming up short.

Mike Garrett, where are you? Mike Garrett, who are you?

The university's athletic director is currently presiding over two programs under investigation, one of which is currently under a steamroller, yet he will not publicly explain any of it?

The university seemingly has been unwilling to fully investigate allegations surrounding its football and basketball teams, not even talking to key accusers, yet nobody will publicly account for any of that?

Cont'd ...

 

[BB73]

Recent comments from Pete Carroll are at odds with the official response from USC last night. Although these quotes don't say how recent any of the interviews were.

ESPN

USC speaks to NCAA investigations

USC broke its silence Thursday night on the NCAA investigations into violations relating to former athletes Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo, if only to defend itself against recent stories that it was seemingly hiding its head in the sand while major allegations against the athletic department were being tossed around in the media and elsewhere.

The statements came from Todd Dickey, USC senior vice president for Administration, and Mike Garrett, USC's athletic director, and the general gist is that that school is actively participating in the investigations and is fully cooperating with the NCAA and the Pac-10.

"We have already interviewed approximately 50 people and spent many hundreds of hours investigating these allegations," Dickey said in the statement. "We have no idea how long this investigation will continue, and no one is more anxious to bring this process to a conclusion than we are -- but we remain committed to getting to the truth."

Dickey said that, contrary to some reports, "USC has participated in every interview -- except those few from which we were excluded. Our exclusion from these interviews mainly stemmed from demands from those making allegations against our student-athletes, insisting that no one from USC be present."

He added that USC has refused media inquiries and remained silent because the case is on-going and NCAA and privacy rules require the university to remain silent.

...

Meanwhile, Garrett said that he was eager for the cases to resolve themselves.

"No one wants to find out what happened -- to get to the truth more than me," he said in the statement. "But there is a process -- and that process is dictated by the NCAA rules and making sure that the investigation is conducted in a manner that will ensure that we indeed do get to the truth."

Cont'd ...

 

[Steve19]

So, you see, like Reggie Bush, he, uh, well, he, uh...

 

[Mike80]

Reported today that Alabama had to forfeit wins over the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons because 5 players (I believe) were ruled ineligible for those seasons. Something to do with improperly receiving textbooks from other students if I heard right.

Those guys got some text books. Reggie Bush's parents got a house.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Again - in one case someone was talking to the NCAA (in the Alabama case, the school) whereas no one with pertinent information about Reggie Bush either within USC or those that supplied the money to him and his parents is talking at all.

 

[BB73]

USC responses last night were actually in video form on a USC website.

USC.cstv.com

Reaction to rhe statements from the LATimes.

SI.com

In a video statement, USC senior vice president for administration Todd Dickey contradicts statements made to The Times in a May 31 article by attorneys of two key witnesses -- Lloyd Lake in the Reggie Bush inquiry and Louis Johnson in the O.J. Mayo case-- that USC failed to attempt to question them. Dickey said, "USC repeatedly asked to participate in the NCAA's interview of Mr. Lake. However, Mr. Lake and his attorneys refused to allow the university to participate in either his interview or the interviews of his relatives." Lake's attorney, Brian Watkins has told The Times the school did not attempt to make contact with his client until last fall, more than two years after the accusations became public and 11 months after the NCAA interviewed him.

A possible explanation to that discrepancy is that USC asked the NCAA, who declined, and didn't even inform Lake and/or his attorneys of the request.

 

[Taosman]

 

[BB73]

Mandel speculates about where the investigation stands.

SI.com

Hey Stewart. Any update on how the USC "investigation" is coming along? Thanks.
-- Terry Collins, Independence, Kan.

No one from the NCAA, Pac-10 or any other involved party is allowed to speak about the "ongoing" investigation, but if I had to guess...

1) The investigation has shifted entirely to ex-coach Tim Floyd's rogue basketball program, which could be in big, big trouble if it did indeed pay for O.J. Mayo.

2) While it was abundantly clear to anyone who read the original Yahoo! reports Reggie Bush was ineligible while at USC, the NCAA was never able to nail down hard evidence due to Bush's non-cooperation and the fact he bought off one of the key witnesses. If it had, it would have announced something as far back as year or two ago.

3) Therefore, when the NCAA announced in April it was combining the football and basketball probes, it was probably doing so as a convenient way to save face. At some point in the near future, the NCAA will announce its findings, and while it may well result in severe penalties for the hoops program, football will likely be scantily mentioned or affected. The football team can't lose scholarships due to the basketball team's infractions.

This will surely cause no shortage of outrage among fans nationwide, who will accuse the NCAA of playing favorites (especially since it just nailed Alabama for the oh-so heinous crime of players selling textbooks). I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I just think the NCAA's enforcement department, which carries no subpoena power, is largely powerless. Unless a case involves active players with eligibility issues, or unless a related lawsuit or criminal case exists on which it can piggy back, investigators tend to curl up in a ball.

 

[methomps]

Lake v. Bush is in the court of appeal on the issue of whether Lake is subject to binding arbitration. Lake filed his brief earlier this week, after Bush&co filed in April. Bush's reply is due in August. Stewey has a decent take on things, although he is off w/r/t what could happen to the football program.

 

[jwinslow]

although he is off w/r/t what could happen to the football program.

As in it could be harsher?

 

[methomps]

yes.

 

[jwinslow]

what is your expectation? (I realize it's a toss-up)

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

IMO Stewart Mandel hit it right on the head

 

[methomps]

Major basketball penalties, no forfeits for the football team, possible scholarship reductions.

I think there has long been sufficient, non-newspaper evidence that Reggie Bush committed some kind of violation with agents. But what people fail to consider when they say "How can Alabama get punished for players getting a textbook or two when Reggie Bush too thousands of dollars" is that the institution's penalty rests largely on their role in the whole thing.

The NCAA expects schools to monitor things within their sphere of control. How many textbooks your players are getting from your school bookstore is squarely within the control of the institution. What house some out-of-town parents are living in is less so. For that stuff, the NCAA tries to apply more of a "did the institution know or would it have known had it taken reasonable steps?"

Did Oklahoma know that Bomar had a no-show job? No. Should they have known? Well, the dealership was a major booster, coaches visited it to do radio broadcasts, large numbers of athletes worked there, and the school had student employment forms that it failed to check.

With SC, there is little to nothing in the way of credible evidence that the school had the information or failed to take some step that they would be expected to (apart from the hindsight "investigate everything" wisdom). But the bball's problems brings up the specter of failure to monitor. With that theory, magic dots are connected.