White’s rant a black eye for USC

Former USC running back LenDale White made headlines Saturday for tweeting inflammatory remarks about USC Athletic Director Pat Haden. According to White, who was on the sidelines for Saturday’s win over Colorado, when the former Tennessee Titans running back tried to enter the tunnel following the game he was escorted out of the Coliseum by security.

White had been vocal on Twitter in his criticism of the USC coaching staff during the Trojans’ win over Arizona, but the retired NFL player told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times that he and Haden had made amends following the Arizona game, which resulted in his visit to the Coliseum on Saturday. Upon being escorted out of the Coliseum after the Trojans’ victory over Colorado, however, White took to Twitter and blasted USC’s athletic director, calling Haden a “coward” and saying that “USC should fire [his] punk a–,” a tweet he later deleted. USC Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone denied Haden’s involvement in White’s removal from the tunnel, but White stood by his comments.

My problem isn’t with the fact that White was escorted out; I’m sure whoever had White removed from the Coliseum tunnel has his or her reasons for not letting the controversial former tailback into the locker room, not the least of which were probably his various remarks about the team’s leadership in the previous week.

My problem is with White’s tweet after he was kicked out, when he said, “…I’m truly embarrassed to b[sic] a #TROJAN I’ve done Wayy[sic] to[sic] much to b[sic] treated like that.” This tweet is still on White’s account, but the reasoning for insisting on this remains unclear. White gets a modest public relations boost and a fleeting wisp of relevance, only to probably sink into post-NFL obscurity once again.

To be fair, the former red zone tailback amassed 52 rushing touchdowns in 541 carries during his time at USC (a pretty ridiculous stat, if you think about it), and did great things for some historically talented USC offenses. It only takes watching a tape of him bowl between the tackles and completely overwhelm defenders en route to pay dirt to make me long for the Pete Carroll era.

But White’s exemplary play in his time at USC doesn’t give him leeway to start trashing the coaching staff one week and then expect to be welcomed into the locker room the next. It certainly doesn’t give him the right to play the victim and rail against the university that ultimately gave him the national-level exposure that landed him a job in the NFL in the first place.

It’s this lack of self-awareness and sense of entitlement that can become a major problem with giving high-profile athletes a public platform. Instead of acting with grace and giving back to the university in a meaningful way, White insists on stirring up headlines and creating more drama for a football program that’s frankly had enough soap opera plotlines and negative ESPN headlines this season.

A former player who calls for the current coach to be fired, as White did after the Arizona game and the Colorado game (both USC victories, I might add), has no place in that team’s locker room, no matter how many touchdowns he had. In a game where team chemistry and “buying in” is paramount, White seems unaware of the fact that his comments and outspokenness are the reason why he shouldn’t be allowed into USC’s locker room.

LenDale White remains one of the finest running backs in USC’s storied tailback lineage. That will never change. What I hope will change is White’s attitude about his contributions to USC. Being “embarrassed” to be a Trojan should never be a sentiment expressed by a member of the Trojan Family, especially over such a minor personal slight. If anything, White’s boorish, self-pitying reaction to this situation is the greater embarrassment.

Euno Lee is a senior majoring in English literature. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Daily Trojan. His column, “Euno What Time It Is,” runs Tuesdays.