NCAA denies USC’s appeal of penalties
Football season might be months away, but USC is already eliminated from contention to play in any postseason bowl or the inaugural Pac-12 championship game after the NCAA’s Infractions Appeals Committee upheld all penalties against the Trojans.
“I am very disappointed, but I am not surprised,” USC athletic director Pat Haden said.
The penalties against USC include a two-year postseason bowl ban and the loss of 30 scholarships over three years. In the appeal, the Trojans requested that the penalties be reduced to a one-year postseason bowl ban, and the forfeiture of 15 scholarships over three years.
Daily Trojan file photo
The Trojans will serve the second year of the two-year postseason bowl ban during the 2011 football season.
“I feel badly for our seniors who had two years of [postseason bowl bans], even though they had nothing to do with what went on,” Haden said.
Haden stated that USC would accept the penalties, and not sue the NCAA.
“We have decided to move on and make the most of our situation,” Haden said. “We disagree with the findings, but I do think that the [NCAA’s Infractions Appeals Committee] itself is fair-minded.”
Haden made it clear the university takes responsibility for the infractions committed by the football program.
“We have to look at ourselves in the mirror here,” Haden said. “We could have, and should have, done things better. We had a player [former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush] who knowingly did things wrong. We are not innocent here. We deserve some penalties, but it is the severity of the penalties that we think are unfair.”
Haden expects that the 2004 BCS National Championship will be stripped, but that the Trojans will remain AP national champions for that year.
Moving forward, Haden vowed to improve communication and relationship between the university and the NCAA.
The Trojans held a brief team meeting Thursday morning, with USC coach Lane Kiffin telling his players to be smart with their social media reactions to the decision of the NCAA’s Infractions Appeals Committee.
“We do not agree [with the findings], but we will deal with what we are dealt and move on,” junior quarterback Matt Barkley said.
Barkley was confident that the team, which went 8-5 last season, would improve.
“Ultimately, there have been a lot of changes that have been made from last year’s team to now in regards to the attitude that the majority of the guys have,” Barkley said. “I definitely think it will turn out better than it did last year.”
This needs to be heard in a REAL Court, with REAL rules of evidence, and where DUE PROCESS is the standard. The NCAA is CORRUPT. They change the rules in the middle of the process, allow “doctered” photo as evidence, accept the word of a 2 time felon over a respected assitant coach. Phone recorords PROVE the call that is the NCAA’s entire connection to the University took place a YEAR after the date they used in the deliberations. The University and coach McNair were both denied DUE PROCESS.
I know this is several days late, but I totally agree with Mark. The NCAA cited it’s fairness in bestowing it’s due process policy to congress as even better than what is routinely provided to the public. That’s bolder-dash. The issue has always been “due process” and not the defense of Reggie or his family.
What makes this worse is the revelations of what occurred at Ohio State and the NCAA issuing it’s “new rules” right before the story broke that member institutions cannot site penalties at other schools in their defense. Really? I guess that would show just how hypocritical the NCAA is…
This has been an unreal experience for the school, it’s athletes and supportive student body. The NCAA should be hauled back in front of congress and be forced to explain this failure in providing due process – as it so eloquently stated it did to congress….
If AD Haden truly IS ‘gravely disappointed’ at the NCAA decision, he should SUE the NCAA. Pat remember it’s FIGHT ON here, not Roll Over (This is not South Bend).
We need to file Legal Action against the NCAA. Maybe that would wake those idiots up and they can see things in much nore of a Straight Line. Placing Penalties on Students that aren’e eve here yet, is Ridiculous.