After a full three days of interviews, including two full days focused on Pete Carroll’s football program, the NCAA has wrapped up it’s investigation of the USC athletic program. And while an investigation of this duration is virtually unheard of, the worst news for the Trojans football program appears to be coming from leaked reports popping up over the last several hours.
USC may very well pay the price for the trend, as the NCAA will in all likelihood look to set an example of the Trojans, leveling some rather harsh penalties and probation. It isn’t as if we didn’t see it coming; Pete Carroll jumping ship the way he did pretty well tipped us all off.
One official directly connected to the investigation was directly quoted as saying that the only matter for discussion at this point is the severity of the sanctions. It is all but assured that the Trojans will lose a significant number of scholarships and bowl eligibility for as many as two years, and will not be appearing on television. Read full story at Sportales
Stories and photos are coming out, such as the one above showing Lane Kiffin out drinking with Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, and Kiffin’s brother-in-law David Reaves at a local Knoxville bar, where witnesses say Kiffin was getting cozy with the ladies.
He replaces Jim Mora, who had a comparable record of 31-33 in four seasons as an NFL head coach, and became the first coach in Seahawks history to receive less than three seasons at the helm.
Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke was in Los Angeles on Sunday and while indications were the two sides were close to a deal, the team did not announce an agreement on Sunday night.
According to the Los Angeles Times, however, players and coaches at USC were informed of Carroll’s departure via a text message from a Trojans assistant.
The imminent announcement of Carroll’s hiring in Seattle will conclude a whirlwind week in which Seattle fired Jim Mora after one season and hired Carroll, an overwhelmingly successful college coach who now returns to the league where he was fired twice as head coach in the 1990s.
In nine seasons at USC, Carroll went 97-19, won seven bowl games and two national championships, and had 14 players chosen in the first round of the NFL draft.
What title Carroll will hold other than head coach — if any — is not clear, but he is not expected to have final say over football personnel. The Seahawks indicated Saturday he would not have control of all personnel decisions as Mike Holmgren did when he was hired in 1999, and that if Carroll were hired, his authority over personnel would not extend beyond who makes the 53-man roster and how much they play. Read full story here
Mora joined the Seahawks in February 2008 on a five-year contract that called for him to transition to coach once Holmgren retired. Mora was an assistant for the 2008 season, then succeeded Holmgren. Read more here
South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt, fired Friday for allegedly slapping a player at a November game, is the third coach to lose his job in six weeks over player mistreatment charges. Read full story here
Toby Gerhart rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns and No. 25 Stanford emphatically followed up its 2007 upset at the Coliseum by beating No. 11 Southern California on Saturday 55-21, the most points ever allowed by the Trojans.
The loss was the Trojans’ worst since a 51-0 defeat at home against Notre Dame in 1966 and essentially ended USC’s seven-year run as Pac-10 champions.
Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score for the Cardinal (7-3, 6-2 Pac-10), who followed up their surprising rout of Oregon last week with a strong start and a big finish at the Coliseum, where the Trojans (7-3, 4-3) haven’t lost to any other opponent since 2001, going 47-2. Read full Associated Press article here
Associated Content: Tennessee football players were arrested today, just 24 hours after Lane Kiffin bragged that no Tennessee football players were arrested on his watch. But three Tennessee football players were not only arrested, but charged with armed robbery. Read full story here
USC tailbackStafon Johnson is doing well and his athletic fitness helped him pull through a serious weightlifting accident that required more than seven hours of throat surgery, a trauma expert said today on Monday.
Dr. Gudata Hinika, trauma director at California Hospital Medical Center, said during a news conference that Johnson was communicating nonverbally with family, friends and teammates while being weaned from a ventilator.
“His spirit is very good,” Hinika said.
Johnson was injured Monday when a bar fell on his neck during a weightlifting session at USC.
Hinika said Johnson underwent an emergency tracheotomy when he arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Surgeons then began reconstructive procedures.
“Had that been any one of us, meaning me, I would not have survived,” Hinika said. “His neck was so solid and so muscular, that actually helped maintain his airway.
“And the discipline one learns from being athletic also really helped him to calm down and just do what he needed to do. He took instruction very well. All those in combination … contributed to his outcome.”
Hinika said it was rare injury, especially for weightlifting. Read full story here
“It was an unfortunate accident, and Stafon is getting great care right now,” coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. “We don’t have a lot of information at this point, and we’ll keep everyone updated, but our thoughts and prayers are with Stafon.”
Johnson is the Trojans’ second-leading rusher with 157 yards, and he leads USC (3-1, 1-1 Pac-10) with five touchdowns. He led USC in rushing last season with 705 yards and nine touchdowns, but has evolved into the Trojans’ short-yardage specialist this season behind starter Joe McKnight.
Head strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle said Johnson was using a spotter when the accident occurred.
“I’ve seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat,” Carlisle said. “We’re fortunate he was being spotted.” Read more here
