Answer Wednesday! (Part 4)

Another NCAA question in this segment.

Q: Trojan1975 said:
Scott: There is a wild rumor making the rounds that the reason the NCAA has been so slow in releasing its findings is that it has asked us to come up with sanctions we could live with and they rejected the first iteration. Have you heard anything about this?

A: No, I have not heard that. I spoke to a high-ranking USC official this week and they said they had no idea what the NCAA would do. I think the NCAA is just being itself and making sure every aspect of its report goes through the right channels. And I would not be surprised if more people are involved than in any probation decision in NCAA history.

Q: Cheatthesystem said:
How likely is it that USC will go out and hire a relatively unknown coach for the baseball team? Is it even remotely possible that Garrett and Co. would look to the competitive realm of HS Baseball for a replacement to Chad Krueter?

A: USC usually wants college coaches who already coached somewhere and experienced some type of success. It has a men’s tennis coach from Pepperdine, a track coach from Long Beach City College and Long Beach State, a soccer coach from Cal State Fullerton, etc. There are exceptions, like Michael Cooper, but that only reinforces not hiring a relative unknown.

Q: TrojanChamp said:
John Morton is not a players coach like Ken Norton. He helped push Vidal Hazelton to transfer after the famous argument with Steve Sarkisain at halftime. Was assistant coach John Morton, a former assistant of Jim Harbough at University of San Diego, the unnamed source that Jim Harbough cited on the USC coaching staff in 2007 that Pete Carroll would leave after that season for the NFL? Also, did Pete Carroll assume Morton was the spy for Harbough? Carroll never took Morton and McNair (for the NCAA purposes) to the NFL the only assistant not to go with him to the NFL besides his son and Pat Ruel. Any information about John Morton would be appreciated.

A: Pete Carroll never told me he thought Morton was a spy for Harbaugh. And I don’t know how much contact there was between Harbaugh and Morton after he left San Diego, because Morton went to the Raiders and New Orleans Saints. I’m told Jeremy Bates decided who got hired offensively in Seattle, so he decided not to take Ruel, McNair and Morton. Morton will always be the natural suspect but is Harbaugh dumb enough to out him? Or did Harbaugh hear it from someone else and assume that person would never be identified because Morton was the natural suspect.

2 thoughts on “Answer Wednesday! (Part 4)

  1. TrojanChamp said: “Also, did Pete Carroll assume Morton was the spy for Harbough? Carroll never took Morton and McNair (for the NCAA purposes) to the NFL”

    No, but Carroll did promote Morton to Offensive Coordinator last year, after the alleged outing. Not exactly a sign of being in coach’s dog house.

  2. I guess I’m out of the loop, can someone fill me in on the Morton spy story?

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