Riley slams USA Today reporter for ‘dumb’ probe
Lincoln Riley lambasted the reporter for asking about other fanbases’ perceptions.
By ADRIANA BRADY
After a crushing 42-27 loss to No. 5 Oregon on Saturday that all but eliminated No. 19 USC football from playoff contention, the last thing Head Coach Lincoln Riley wanted to hear about was a Ducks’ fan sign seen on ESPN’s College Gameday.
In a heated moment during USC’s postgame news conference, Riley fired back after a USA Today reporter posed a question about the appearance of a sign that allegedly read “Extend Lincoln Riley’s contract,” alluding to the Trojans’ struggles against ranked opponents. The alleged sign encouraged a contract extension for Riley, presuming that USC is beatable for top conference opponents in his tenure.
“That might be the dumbest question I’ve been asked as long as I’ve been a head coach, and I’ve been asked a lot of questions,” Riley said, while redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava side-eyed the reporter. “You ought to be a little embarrassed to ask that question. This is a professional thing. You ought to try it.”
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The reporter Riley called out was Adam Bradford, who currently covers USC for USA Today through Trojans Wire. Bradford, a USC alum and former Annenberg Media and Daily Trojan sports reporter, initially used the sign as a segue to ask Riley about the perception opposing Big Ten fan bases have of him after USC’s recent struggles on the road and against ranked teams.
Bradford later took to X to defend his question and clarify his intent, though the majority of the more than 65 comments were negative toward the reporter.
“I asked about his thoughts on the fact that opposing fans do not view him as a threat at USC,” Bradford wrote in a post on X. “Maybe harsh on my part, but I believe USC fans deserve answers.”
USC has now lost four consecutive games to Oregon, and all three of the Trojans’ losses this season have come on the road and against then-ranked opponents, including then-No. 23 Illinois and No. 9 Notre Dame. Under Riley, the Trojans are 6-13 against ranked opponents overall and have had most of their struggles on the road in USC’s first two seasons in the Big Ten.
