More smoke coming from USC
by John Berkowitz on Dec 22, 2009 8:04 AM PST
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PrintIf finishing the year 8-4 and having to settle for the Emerald Bowl this season was not bad enough the Trojans seem to have another scandal on their hands involving one of their key players.
TB Joe McKnight will not leave with the team to begin preparations for the upcoming bowl game with Boston College. According to Pete Carroll he is staying in town to finish some paperwork related to the Land Rover SUV he has been driving around town.
The SUV in question is owned by his girl friends employer who says he purchased the vehicle for her personal use. He also goes on to say that she makes the payments and pays for the insurance. Scott Schenter who is a UW grad living in the LA area says the girl is a long time friend of the family and employee. He arranged the purchase of the car for her because she and her family didn't have the credit to pull it off.
Three other USC players are now ineligible for the game because of academics. Tight end Anthony McCoy and tackle Tyron Smith, both starters, and defensive end Averell Spicer, a key reserve, will not play in the Emerald Bowl.
The tradition of USC stars driving around in fancy cars without the means to pay for it goes back to the a long time. OJ Simpson had a set of hot wheels when he was at USC that every student knew he could not afford. Somehow there is always a rational explanation and the player moves on to the NFL without much problem or any NCAA problems resulting for the football team.
This time it may be different since the NCAA has already been investigating the school over the Reggie Bush incident for a couple years and the basketball team fell under scrutiny last season for OJ Mayo's "people" receiving payments from the now fired head coach.
If you add up all the pieces it is really hard to buy Pete Carroll's explanation that Los Angeles is simply a big city and it is too hard to keep tabs of 85 players at all times. I have nothing against Carroll, his program, or the school, but where there is this much smoke there has to be considerable fire.
The LA Times seems to have finally taken some interest in how the USC program is being run and as Husky fans know once they get involved in an investigation it can get pretty ugly. The sports writing staff gives their take today but you can bet the investigative journalism side of the paper is now firing up tis engines too.
Bill Plaschke of the LA Times says the Trojans are playing with fire:
More smoke here, strange smoke, scary smoke, stupid smoke, adding to a cloud that ensures the NCAA will keep looking for that illegal burn.
Bill Dwyre of the LA Times write about the hypocrisy of college athletics.
Colleges try to create the image of student-athletes being taught teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship by fair-minded coaches, but the reality is much different.
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Couldn't happen to a nicer school.
But we shall see if this sticks to the teflon this time. If you get a teflon coated pan hot enough, it will burn. Maybe a return to the AAWU. If it sticks, next up the ducks and uncle Phil.
Agreed prrbrr
You can’t tell me that corporate Nike’s donations are enough to entice the sort of recruits that have been flapping their wings to Oregon. What does Eugene, Oregon have to offer? It can’t be much better then Pullman freakin’ Washington.
I think Oregon is dirty and they are really good at covering their tracks. Would not be the least bit surprised if allegations came out of Eugene anytime soon.
All I saw was purple
Comparing Eugene to Pullman
Is like comparing Las Vegas to Yakima!!! Still thinking with your heart and not your head.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
What does Oregon have to offer?
Please….one brief walk across the campus and a tour of the athletic facilities is all you need to know about what Oregon has to offer. Eugene is a geat college town in addition to that with a nice friendly scale that a lot of kids find appealing.
Is Oregon dirty?
I think on the way up there were some questionable tactics being used. I think at this point you need to beat them in the field and let your game day performance do the talking. I am not an Oregon fan but I don’t see any smoke coming from the program at this time.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 23, 2009 11:09 AM PST up reply actions
LACK ON INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL AT IT'S BEST !!!
The coaches know what is going on at USC, if they say different….Bull Crap. What the hell is the Pac 10 doing with the sanctions against USC. They say, Where there is smoke, there is fire. There is a forest fire in the USC Athletic Department.
The Tunnel is Hallowed and Sacred Ground
by bigdawgdaddy999 on Dec 22, 2009 8:17 AM PST reply actions
Yawn
If anything, the University of Spoiled Children will have a couple of scholarships revoked and the NCAA and PAC-10 will say they did their duty. If this was ASU, WSU, or the University of Washington, there would be hell to pay, but this is U$C, and nothing major is going to come of it. Wake me when the dust settles.
Are We Seeing The Fall Of Troy?
I remember when Sark was hired the SC fans were saying good riddance. He was terrible as an OC witnessed by the average offenses he had.
They also said that Holt was just riding Carroll’s coat tails and Carroll was running the defense.
Look at it now. Another Car incident. Three kids academically ineligible. They had a down year this year where the offense was not very good and the D was getting torched.
Maybe SC undervalued the importance of Sark and Holt. I bet Barkley would love the chance to have Sark as his QB coach and OC.
SC Fallout
The league and the NCAA as a whole don’t want USC to fail or be punished. It is all about money these days and USC is definitely a breadwinner.
The question of course is how long can this go on without some sort of recourse because it has become pretty embarrasing. Obviously the Trojans have a problem with hangers on hanging on a little too closely.
They all may covet USC's television market
….(one shared by UCLA, by the way), but we have to keep in mind that the NCAA is a collective who, at its core, is administered by employees of each of the individual members. I doubt they see the sanctioning of USC as anyhow detrimental to the business of the NCAA or, more importantly, as anything but a minor to significant bump in their own fortunes.
I think the NCAA is ready to intervene. They just need this little thing called evidence. Unfortunately, there is no evidence until the journalists provide it. And I’m talking about someone other than Yahoo Sports. Perhaps the LA Times is now appropriately motivated.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
They just need this little thing called evidence.
Bingo. The NCAA hasn’t done anything yet because they don’t have strong enough evidence to sanction USC. Even in this case, there’s no evidence (yet) that USC coaches or administrators were involved. At most, you can say they were failing to monitor. And these days, the NCAA is more gun-shy about penalties than when the UW got hammered by the Pac-10.
The hope is that the L.A. Times is (finally) sufficiently motivated to probe deeper into USC athletics – if there’s a larger pattern of this sort of thing, that could be enough for the NCAA to feel comfortable applying a “lack of institutional control” tag on the program.
i won't hold my breath
To see if the new commish is more progressive than the new commish. But one can hope.
A extensive tv package ramped up over two to three years would allow for U$C to be on probation, while the rest of the pac gains more parity and then return to rebuild. No loss of revenue and sc will always be sc, I mean look at the domers……
by PandG on Dec 22, 2009 9:35 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Taula to UA and Fehoko strong TTU lean
Greg Biggins reported that Taula committed to Arizona don’t know if that means he’s canceling his visit to UW or not and VJ Fehoko is a strong lean to Texas Tech with a possible commit to TTU at anytime.
Taula said he’s probably still going to take his visits, and considering what he said before about the last school he visits probably landing him, I think we should consider his “commitment” to Arizona to be written in pencil. Not saying we’ll turn him, but he’s not 100% to Arizona yet.
I’ve heard enough conflicting reports about Fehoko as a prospect that I’m not going to be crushed if he goes to Tech. I’d rather have Pullard if we can get him.
Taula
Taula will stillv isit Washington so consider him a soft verbal that is easily swayed. The kid will sign with the school he visits last. He seems impressionable that way.
I have never been too excited about Fehoko to tell you the truth. If he comes fine…if he doesn’t I am not too concerned. He seems to be an over-hyped player. Just for example I think the LB’s we have already signed are all better prospects.
The two LB types remaining on the board Ir eallyc are about are Pullard and Shirley. Not sure if we can reel them in but they could be early difference makers.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 22, 2009 12:01 PM PST up reply actions
U$C, no smoke, no fire
None of the allegations rise to the level of severity like when BJ Hobert scam hit the UW and it was learned of other serous problems. My favorite was when Kieth Jackson mentioned that a WR got a free cheeseburger at the golf course where he worked.
As far as McKnight is concerned, do you expect him to use public transportation? Here in Seattle, the light rail passengers are subsidized $140 per trip. An unselfish person like McKnight wouldn’t want to put that burden on the city of LA.
USC INVINCIBLE
I will list here a series of clippings on USC the INVINVIBLE, darling of the networks and the sacred GOLDEN CALF of the PAC-10. All letters to the PAC-10 and the NCAA inquiring about status were never even given a response. It’s all about U$$$$$$SC. Translated as money. They are too big to fail. Rose Bowl five times straight?
The Huskies went three in a row and were severely sanctioned for LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL and recruits having FRUIT BASKETS in their rooms.
It is only now they are showing signs of recovery. It’s all a sham. Form a semipro league with the transgressors and pay the players up front.
Not necessarily in order and their may be more:
1) Recruiting practice at USC faces scrutiny
Prior to playing Texas for the National Championship Trojan Coach said he would not comment further during a Rose Bowl news conference regarding requent visits by USC RECRUITS at the PAPADAKIS TAVERNA where they were encouraged to declare “I want to be a Trojan!”
2) April 27, 2007 “Trojan quarterback arrested for sexual assault” SC backup QB arrested after a female student reported he sexually assaulted her.
3) Sep 15, 2006 Report: Bush took costly gifts Online story says Heisman winner took over $100,000 as a student.
4) Sep 26, 2006 Shed no tears for shifty Bush Conference investigators are eager to learn how his mother and stepfather lived for a year in a 3,000 square-foot house owned by a man who had designs on starting a Sports Marketing Company with Bush as it’s featured client.
5)Sep 27, 2006 Bush says family is innocent “It’s kind of funny how this whole story is getting blown out of proportion” Bush said. Bush declined to say who paid the rent.
6) Allegations “overwhelmed MAYO” A former associate was saying Mayo was funneled money by a sports promoter from a professional agent, during and after his high profile prep basketball career.
No sanction, no nothing. One possible reason no fruit baskets or Idaho loan. But I guarantee the PAC-10 Presidents are not up in arms over THE UNIVERSITY OF DOLLARS. But pitifully for the Huskies, the University Administration will not pull the rug out from under them either.
This is what the Huskies are up against in their rebuilding, rejuvenation efforts. It wouldn’t surprise me to see sanctions from the KING-TV non-story. Does anyone watch KING-TV?
It is pretty overwhelming
Point is that 2009 is nver going to be 1992. Plenty of things have changed over the last 17 years including the power of the NCAA and conferences to enforce penalties. Of course if you are UW you just roll over and take it.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 23, 2009 8:50 AM PST up reply actions
I think it's...
…also more difficult to go after a private school compared to a public one.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
SMU would disagree...
Bird Law in this country isn't governed by reason.
by Tyler Jorgensen on Dec 27, 2009 12:22 AM PST up reply actions
OPEN SEASON
John, if this goes by the wayside, no sanctions it means any school can pay players, provide cars, whatever with no recriminations. What is good for the GOLDEN GOOSE is good for the GANDER too.
Is this what you are telling us?
SEMI PRO FOOTBALL
and paying players is where we are heading. Some Universities will still have the resolve to stick with the academics. Remember when the elite Universities on the east coast were football powerhouses, FORDHAM comes to mind. HARVARD played in the ROSE BOWL.
NOW THEY WANT PLAYOFFS WHICH MEANS A SIXTEEN GAME SCHEDULE?
Apparently U$$S$$C doesn’t graduate a whole lot of players either. How long can the sanctimonious Presidents put up with that situation?
You need proof
The one thing about SC is nobody is spilling the beans. If it turns out all McKnight was doing was driving his girl friends car there isn’t much anyone can do about it. I do expect the basketball program to get hammered with sanctions. Not sure how the football program will be affected because even though ther eis a lot of smoke they haven’t found the actual fire inside the program yet.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 24, 2009 11:02 PM PST up reply actions
HOLY BEJABBERS
There are so many I missed one:
7) TROJANS JARRETT VIOLATED NCAA RULES June 17, 2006
SC’s Dwayne Jarrett violated NCAA rules by not paying enough rent for the$3,866 dollar apartment he shared with QB Matt Leinhart. Jarrett, the All-American receiver was declared ineligible though he may not miss any playing time. Leinhart and Jarrett each paid $650 per month with Leinhart’s father paying $2,566 – the difference of the monthly payment.
8)
9)
?)
Please feel free to add to the list.
This whole thing...
…is becoming a joke. Maybe the Seattle Times can dig down in LA and find a couple of former USC athletes who would be willing to testify (truthfully or not) against them. Kind of like the LA Times did against the Huskies in 92. Oh I forgot they like to dig up stuff ON THE HOME TEAM!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
The Times does not have the budget
The Times doesn’t have the budget and if they did they wouldn’t have the inclination to go out of the Northwest to do an investigative report that has little impact on the region.
by John Berkowitz on Dec 23, 2009 8:52 AM PST up reply actions
My comments...
…were really just meant to be sarcastic.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
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