Felt like this article deserved a post – Dan Wetzel gets it, and lays it all out in a very clear and concise way.
A few choice quotes that I found most interesting:
Yet all Bush had to do was look at the egomaniacs in charge of Trojan football to see a casual, selfish, instant gratification culture that all but encouraged him to get his car tricked out….Coach Win Forever never cared about USC; that much is clear. His boss didn’t, too. They cared about themselves, their paychecks, their fawning fans, their sideline celebrities and that intoxicating high that only winning can deliver.
This is why USC got absolutely crushed. Mike G and Poodle Pete gave the NCAA the finger, and figured no one would notice. Idiots.
It was one thing for Garrett and Carroll to run a loose ship in L.A. It’s another for them to have kept partying when the boat hit the iceberg. The way USC handled the Reggie Bush scandal is near criminal, and the ones paying the price are the students, alumni, fans and current and future players…And still the SC brain trust did little. Their defense against the NCAA was to deny, deny, deny. NCAA sources say every meeting with investigators was contentious. There was no cooperation, no interest in a joint effort to gather the truth. This was USC refusing to admit anything happened, let alone some level of guilt.
Completely agree here, and I wouldn’t be shocked if someone, anyone sued Garrett and/or Pete for gross negligence and sought some sort of compensation for all the damage they caused. Heck, if I was a fan I’d file a Class Action and get rich off the lawyers. Hmmmm….
The tough stuff comes now. The adults are in. New coach Lane Kiffin is dealing with potentially crippling sanctions and a new AD with whom he’d appear to have nothing in common. Haden is a mature and educated man whose focus is ethics and says his life has been guided by never wanting to do anything that would embarrass his now late mother. Kiffin is a brash, foot-in-the-mouth, secondary-violation machine.
“I think so,†Haden said on ESPN when asked if Kiffin was the right guy for USC, about as un-ringing of an endorsement as you’ll hear. Haden then went on to praise the way rivals Stanford and Notre Dame do business.
We’ll see if Haden can right the ship (meaning, can he fire Kiffin asap or reign him in enough to clean things up), and gotta appreciate his reference to doing things ‘the right way’. Didn’t love him as an announcer for ND on NBC, but glad to see that he took something from it. I look forward to ND doing it the right way and crushing his Trojans in years to come.
Don't take me, yourself, or life so seriously. This is supposed to be fun.
Biscuit co-founded HerLoyalSons in partnership with his ND roommate (Dillon Hall baby!), MQ, in 2006 and has been ranting about ND Football and everything Notre Dame since. He strongly believes in the mission of ND and its football program. Biscuit expects logic and data in arguments and will absolutely crush you if you come to a debate missing one or the other. He despises everything Michigan, and his favorite pastime is mocking Purdue.
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- No Respect! - December 14, 2018
You, and the “journalist” of which you speak above, mistake not cooperating with Dan Wetzel with not cooperating with the NCAA.
The paragraph from the NCAA’s report regarding USC’s “middle finger to the NCAA”, posted in its entirety:
“institution and its personnel as set forth in Findings B-1-(b), B-6 and B-7. The committee concluded that in light of the serious nature of the violations and the failure of the institution to detect and/or prevent them, the institution’s cooperation did not warrant relief in the penalties imposed by the committee in this case.”
But let’s not let that get in the way of the a good story about mean old USC, right?
Looking forward to beating you the next two years and beyond.
Whoops – cut off the beginning of the passage…
“The committee also considered the institution’s cooperation in the processing of this case. Cooperation during the infractions process is addressed in Bylaw 19.01.3 – Responsibility to Cooperate, which states in relevant part that, “All representatives of member institutions shall cooperate fully with the NCAA Enforcement Staff, Committee on Infractions, Infractions Appeals Committee and Board of Directors. The enforcement policies and procedures require full and complete disclosure by all institutional representatives of any relevant information requested by the NCAA Enforcement Staff, Committee on Infractions or Infractions Appeals Committee during the course of an inquiry.” Further, NCAA Bylaw 32.1.4 – Cooperative Principle, also addresses institutional responsibility to fully cooperate during infractions investigations, stating, in relevant part, “The cooperative principle imposes an affirmative obligation on each institution to assist the enforcement staff in developing full information, to determine whether a possible violation of NCAA legislation has occurred and the details thereof.” The committee determined that the cooperation exhibited by the institution met its obligation under Bylaws 19.01.3.3 and 32.1.4. The cooperation the institution demonstrated in this case must be weighed against the conduct and failures of the institution and its personnel as set forth in Findings B-1-(b), B-6 and B-7. The committee concluded that in light of the serious nature of the violations and the failure of the institution to detect and/or prevent them, the institution’s cooperation did not warrant relief in the penalties imposed by the committee in this case.”
Yes, USC ‘cooperated’ when backed into a corner from whence there was no escape. But contrast this ‘cooperation’ with other institutions, like Michigan and UF, that were diligent in monitoring, investigating, and reporting issues to the NCAA themselves. USC did no such thing, at any point, until the NCAA came knocking. There was no interest in digging up the truth and doing things right bc its right. There was only interest in stonewalling and trying to not get caught. You call that cooperation? The difference is clear as day, if you allow yourself to see it.