May 2006 Archives

Memo to Bob Leinart:

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal: ``At Rehab, the Hard Rock pool party, on Sunday: football stars Brian Urlacher, Joey Porter, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Terrell Owens, Snoop Dogg, NBA standout Corey Maggette, ultimate fighter Tito Ortiz, Jaime Pressly and Jenna Jameson.''

A couple readers emailed last week and said that USC coach Pete Carroll claimed in a booster club meeting that sophomore Kaluka Maiava was the new starter at outside linebacker ahead of junior Keith Rivers.
Carroll backed off that comment slightly Tuesday and said that Maiava was not the starter but there would be an ``open competition’’ in training camp at the weakside linebacker position. Either way, it sends a message to Rivers that no starting spot is secure.

The USC women’s track team tied Stanford for first place in last weekend’s West Regional at Brigham Young. But the always-prepared NCAA provided only one trophy for the event.
So what did the organization do to solve the problem? It flipped a coin. USC won the flip and brought home the trophy while Stanford went home empty-handed.
Maybe the BCS could have taken that scientific approach with the crystal football in 2003 when USC and LSU each claimed a share of the national championship.

Junior wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and junior offensive tackle Sam Baker first-team All-Americans in Lindy's magazine's preseason football preview.
Senior center Ryan Kalil and junior defensive end Lawrence Jackson were selected to the second-team.

The district attorney's office said Tuesday afternoon it still had not set a date for Mark Sanchez's arraignment. The longer this takes is actually good news for Sanchez. Of course, the DA could decide not to hold an arraignment hearing if no charges are filed.

Today, USC coach Tim Floyd will start to address whether it’s even possible to bring in another point guard for next season. It’s unlikely, given how late it is in the year but the situation is desperate following the death of point guard Ryan Francis.
A Pacific-10 Conference coach told me that USC probably won six games last season just because of Francis, a fact Floyd would not argue.
``He’s the reason we won more games than anyone else on the team,’’ Floyd said. ``He changed the way we played.’’

Clay Matthews was an All-American linebacker for USC in 1977 and enjoyed an 18-year NFL career. His brother Bruce was an All-American offensive lineman in 1982 and also played for 18 years.
Two of Clay’s sons, Kyle and Clay Jr., also went to USC. Clay Jr. is currently a sophomore linebacker.
But Clay’s youngest son, Casey, a linebacker at Oaks Christian High School, might end up at Notre Dame. Casey Matthews lists the Irish and Georgia Tech among his favorites and has been offered a scholarship by many schools, but not USC.

Right before the story broke regarding the living arrangement of Reggie Bush’s parents in April, there was word in NFL circles that a prominent sports agent was leaking the story to media members because he did not sign Bush as a client.
The story became so pervasive that the agent contacted USC and denied shopping the story on Bush.

Offensive guard Tyler Krieg started the past two seasons at Duke. But he could start for California next season without having to sit out a year. Krieg is taking advantage of a controversial new rule that allows transfers who completed their undergraduate degrees to finish their eligibility immediately at another school where they are accepted to pursue an advanced degree.
So Krieg, all-ACC academic team member, fills a huge hole for Cal, which lost three starters on its offensive line. The new rule went into effect last month.
Theoretically, USC wide receiver Chris McFoy and fullback Brandon Hancock would be candidates to transfer without sitting out a season, under the new rule.

Coach Tim Floyd said USC will play its inaugural game at the Galen Center against South Carolina.
USC experienced difficulty finding an opponent for its first game at the new arena, but the Gamecocks needed a second game in Southern California after scheduling UC Irvine next season. The Trojans will also play a home-and-home series beginning next season with The Citadel, which means they will play South Carolina and The Citadel on the same road swing.
USC’s second home game will be against St. Mary’s.

Nebraska coach Bill Callahan just spoke to a recently departed USC assistant coach for some pointers on dealing with the Trojans next season. It's becoming a popular pastime, apparently, after we reported in March that a former USC assistant called one of the Trojans' nonconference opponents and offered advice for next year's game.

USC coach Pete Carroll offered Valencia defensive back Shane Vereen a scholarship this week. Vereen, who also plays tailback, is considering being a two-way player in college and finished fourth in the 100 meters (10.69 seconds) at the Division I track-and-field finals last weekend.
The Trojans are actually playing catchup on Vereen, who was offered a month ago by UCLA.

Matt Leinart described Paris Hilton as ``a friend’’ in his recent ESPN diary. But our spies tell us the pair spent last weekend at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. Doubters might want to check with the Auto Club, which was called when Hilton experienced car trouble.
Luckily, the tabloids did not get wind of the rendezvous or the Arizona Cardinals might be upset.
While only the gullible/ignorant actually believe the couple are not an actual couple, maybe this is Pete Carroll’s fault too, since last week Bob Leinart told the Arizona Republic, ``(Carroll) encourages Hollywood people to come to practice . . . Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell. I don't think he saw the repercussions.’’
Just for fun, I ran that quote past Carroll this week. Let’s just say we both got a good laugh over it.
UPDATE: Did anyone else notice the newspaper report that Leinart partied with Jessica Alba, Robert Downey Jr. and Deborah Harry last weekend?

Details on the latest in the Mark Sanchez case, which appears to be wrapping up, in today's Daily News.

Texas coach Mack Brown sent a text message congratulating defensive end Brian Robison after he won the discus and shot put at the Big 12 Conference track championships. Freshman tailback Jamaal Charles also won the 100 meters.
That means the Longhorn football team scored 30 points at the meet and demonstrated multi-sport athletes can thrive and football teams can still win national titles. That’s been almost non-existent the past five years at USC, unless the player is not even on the depth chart (former quarterback Billy Hart and baseball) or playing a sport that does not interfere with spring practice (Gregg Guenther, basketball).
Other players, like linebacker Oscar Lua, were supposed to play baseball but never did. And the last time a meaningful player ran track was around the time Paul Hackett was the coach. Reggie Bush was supposed to run track but never did.
Perhaps sprinter/wide receiver Jamere Holland, who is too fast to deny a track career, will start a new trend of multi-sport athletes when he arrives next year.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez is prohibited from participating in summer football workouts until his sexual-assault case is resolved. That apparently is the penalty from being under ``interim suspension’’ according to the student affairs office.
I’ve already mentioned several times that those close to the investigation believe the case is weak and I suspect the case will be closed soon. So why is Sanchez unable to work out with his teammates?
My university sources offer these reasons: Student affairs needs some cover in case the district attorney actually filed charges and the suspension also addresses the issue of underage drinking, because Sanchez was at an off-campus club the night of the alleged incident.
The fact Sanchez is allowed to attend summer school is offered as an example of the university’s faith that Sanchez would not be charged with a crime.

Who said crosstown rivals can't be friends?
UCLA alum Leonard Levine is the attorney for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. And we just heard that former UCLA tailback Maurice Drew is being represented by USC grad Aaron Dyer with his recent legal situation.
Some of you basketball diehards might remember Dyer as a walk-on to the USC basketball team in the mid-1980's. Just to show no one is beyond our grasp, a few of you Ventura County experts might even recall Dyer made 19-of-19 free throws to help Ventura High win the Kiwanis Tournament in 1983.

USC plays George Washington in the Wooden Classic on Dec. 9 at the Pond in Anaheim. The Trojans will play in the second game, following UCLA-Texas A&M.
That will present a dilemma for some fans, because there will likely be a bowl football practice that day.

A couple days ago I mentioned how physically impressive Long Beach Poly wide receiver Bryshon Nellum appeared at the Division I track-and-field finals. He won the 200 meters with the third-fastest time in the nation.
One problem for football coaches is that Nellum (6-0, 175) played sparingly last season with just two receptions and requires more evaluation. However, his stature and speed alone are causing colleges to investigate and I can definitely say USC is among those that highly intrigued right now.

There’s been an assumption that quarterback Jimmy Clausen’s commitment to Notre Dame would automatically lead to a follow-up commitment from his teammate at Oaks Christian High, tailback Marc Tyler.
But my sources at Oaks Christian tell me Tyler says he will not go to Notre Dame and did not enjoy his visit to South Bend last month, when Clausen famously announced he would play for the Irish at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis visited Oaks Christian last week but sources say Tyler currently favors USC.
For what it’s worth, USC is recruiting safety Marshall Jones as hard as any player on the Oaks Christian team, including Clausen.

Safety Will Harris will miss the season after tearing knee ligaments for the second time (full details in today's Daily News).
Harris got hurt playing basketball, which is reminiscent of former tight end Dominique Byrd breaking his kneecap right before his junior year in a pickup game with Mike Williams.
It's a position USC can absorb losses. Freshman Antwine Perez will replace Harris as the backup free safety behind Josh Pinkard and recruit Taylor Mays is also waiting in the wings.

Offensive lineman Matt Spanos is academically ineligible for next season. He can practice but cannot play in games and summer school will not rectify the problem.
Spanos was considered a possible starter at guard before being held out of the last part of spring practices because of academic problems.

A little more information is coming out regarding the circumstances of the sexual-assault arrest of USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. According to several sources, Sanchez and the alleged victim met at his apartment and engaged in some sexual activity but did not have sexual intercourse.
The alleged victim left Sanchez’s apartment and several hours later called her mother and told her what happened, sources said. Her mother then telephoned the police, which led to the eventual arrest.

If you drive around the Galen Center, you will notice several large brick murals on the corners of the under-construction basketball arena. So far, the non-athletic motifs seem most noticeable, with ballet dancers, a musician playing a saxophone and graduating students among the highest-profile murals.
This would seem to follow president Steven Sample's edict that the arena be known as an ``events center'' more than an athletic facility. It always seemed like a reasonable title for the building, if the university actually coughed up some cash for it

A good day for USC recruit Travon Patterson of Long Beach Poly, who won the 100-meters (10.44 seconds), placed third in the 200 (21.41) and ran a leg on both relays at the Division I track-and-field finals at Cerritos College.
Seeing Patterson up close, it’s clear he’s not as tall as his listed height of 5-foot-11.
The most physically imposing prospect from Poly was junior wide receiver Bryshon Nellum, who is listed at 6-feet and 175 pounds. Nellum won the 200 in 21.06 seconds, the third-fastest time in the nation. He also won the 400 in 47.38 along with running legs on both relays.

For the second straight year, USC center Ryan Kalil is on the watch list for the Rimington Award, which goes to the nation's top center. The 2005 winner was Greg Eslinger of Minnesota.
Here's the complete list of 39 candidates:

On signing date, I mentioned about eight recruits that were considered risky academically and would probably require the summer before knowing if they would meet NCAA Clearinghouse standards.
You can add fullback Stanley Havili of Salt Lake City, Utah, to that list. Havili stopped attending classes for awhile in the winter and put himself in jeopardy academically. In the past couple months, however, he’s attended classes again and given himself a chance to qualify. A lot will be determined by his grades next month.

A USC coach called a highly touted recruit this week and asked when the recruit would commit if offered a scholarship? ``Immediately,'' the recruit replied.
The recruit said he was not offered a scholarship but invited to USC's summmer camp. This is the way it usually works for the Trojans, who could easily get 15-20 commitments this week if they wanted them.
But USC coach Pete Carroll prefers to wait and evaluate. An exception was the quarterback position, when in the wake of Mark Sanchez's arrest, the Trojans quickly took two commitments a couple weeks ago.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez started summer classes this week while also officially remaining on ``interim suspension'' by the student-affairs office.
That's something akin to double-secret probation in the movie, ``Animal House,'' because there's been no trace of a suspension. Such confusion is nothing new when it comes to student affairs.
Last summer, it suspended cornerback Eric Wright for three semesters then changed the penalty to three years after hearing criticism when the original sentence was reported in the Daily News.
One person who apparently is not on interim suspension is vice president of student affairs, Michael Jackson, who we hear recently traveled to China.

USC coach Pete Carroll and the rest of the coaching staff are in Hawaii for the rest of the week for a chance to unwind and maybe a little bonding before the seemingly endless schedule of summer camps begins. Carroll had the staff work late Monday and Tuesday on recruiting before leaving for Hawaii. The Trojans officially begin summer workouts on Monday.

I admit to probably being more concerned about the next punter than Pete Carroll, at least in the lighthearted conversations we’ve had on the subject. Remember the Trojans currently do not have a punter on scholarship (but six tight ends).
I’ve previously written that former Arizona State punter Greg Woidneck will join the team in training camp.
There’s also two more walk-ons who will try to make the team: Rob Taft from Fallbrook High School was already accepted to USC and averaged 37.5 yards per punt last season. He was also a placekicker and co-captain.
The other candidate is Parker St. Clair, who went to Dana Hills High School and San Diego State. He is currently at Saddleback Community College although he did not play football last season. The No. 1 punter is walk-on Taylor Odegard.

The district attorney's office did not file a new arraignment date for Mark Sanchez's sexual-assault case. Originally, this morning, it was believed to be May 30 or May 31 before it was left open-ended.
The fact no new date was set would be consistent with my earlier reports about the quality of the case against Sanchez.

Leonard Levine, the lawyer for Mark Sanchez and UCLA graduate, said he's received plenty of criticism from Bruin fans for taking the case.
``I’m getting criticism from the other side,'' he said. ``The day I choose loyalty to my school over loyalty to my client is the day I retire.''

Bob Leinart in the Arizona Republic: ``I don't blame (USC coach) Pete Carroll for any of this, but he encourages Hollywood people to come to practice . . . Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell. I don't think he saw the repercussions."
After seeing that quote, a USC athletic dept. employee said, ``I don't think Pete Carroll forced Matt (Leinart) to bring (actor) Wilmer Valderamma to the Salute to Troy.''

The District Attorney's office will re-schedule Mark Sanchez's arraignment date tomorrow morning. Sanchez was originally scheduled to have his arraigment Wednesday but the DA asked for more time. The new date will be announced tomorrow.
What's interesting is that the DA is still investigating the case while the police apparently concluded their investigation.

Paulette Francis, the mother of slain USC point guard Ryan Francis, will make her first public comments since her son's death on Thursday afternoon (3 p.m. local time) at the Glen Oaks High School library in Baton Rouge, La.

Last week, the California chapter of the National Organization for Women sent a letter to USC that accused the university of ignoring ``gender-based crimes'' and also claimed the crimes were ``swept under the rug by local law enforcement.''
A particularly inflammatory part of the letter said, ``In most cases, alumni lawyers have cleared players of crimes, with help of friends in the DA’s office.''
That was a not-so-subtle shot lofted at attorney Carmen Trutanich, who represented USC football players Hershel Dennis, Eric Wright and Rey Maualuga, but does not represent Mark Sanchez, who was arrested last month on suspicion of sexual assault.
Trutanich responded to NOW's statement: ``There's absolutely no truth to what they are even insinuating. This is trial by innuendo and allegation. Do they want to do away with the judicial system and have trial by angry woman?
``Are we going to do away with the judicial system? Rape is serious allegation and should be taken serious by all sides. We should sit back and let judicial system run its course. The facts are the facts. The police are not biased and neither does the district attorney. They want to push the district attorney. Justice is blind.''

Get ready for a lot of 5 p.m. kickoffs.
ABC will start a new weekly prime-time Saturday night telecast in the fall and selected five USC games for the 5 p.m. (West Coast time) slot.
The five games are Sept. 16 against Nebraska, Sept. 23 at Arizona, Oct. 14 against Arizona State, Nov. 18 against California and Nov. 25 against Notre Dame.
The Nebraska and Notre Dame games will be shown to the entire nation while the other telecasts will be regional.

Before the tragic death of point guard Ryan Francis, the most popular subject surrounding the program was that 6-foot-4 junior guard O.J. Mayo of Huntington, W. Va., listed the Trojans as his top choice. Mayo is considered one of the top players in the nation.
He recently talked to the Cincinnati Enquirer about USC and his college choices.

USC freshman point guard Ryan Francis' funeral will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. (local time) at Greater King David Baptist Church, North Location (222 Blount Rd., Baton Rouge, La. 70807).
There will be a public viewing at the church on Friday from noon to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
A burial will be held immediately after the funeral at Southern Memorial Gardens (3012 Blount Rd.), followed by a reception/repast in the afternoon at the church.
There is a Ryan Francis Memorial Fund established by his family. Money may be mailed or wired to Regions Bank, 7265 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge 70806, attention Dan Piershale (account #4302618346, routing #065403626).
An on-campus tribute will be scheduled by USC. And USC coach Tim Floyd said he will consult with the team and fans to see what kind of tribute will be done for Francis next season, such as putting his number on the uniforms.

USC's football team attends two barbecues per year at the home of two boosters. One is at the Malibu home of Wayne Hughes and the other is at the Beverly Hills residence of Alan Casden.
According to today's Los Angeles Business Journal, Hughes is worth $3.6 billion. He owns Public Storage Inc. Casden, a real-estate developer, is worth $1.5 billion.

The focus was on recruiting with USC coach Pete Carroll, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell and Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis among those attending the Stanford Nike Camp.
But as predicted, it was also a time to bring up other issues. Carroll approached Dorrell on Saturday and discussed the idea of reviving the tradition of USC and UCLA wearing their home jerseys in the crosstown rivalry.
The last time that happened was 1982 before the NCAA prohibited the unique practice. It’s believed the NCAA would allow each team to wear their home jerseys if the schools agreed and Carroll is a firm supporter.

Back on May 2, I wrote the following: ``We’re 2,000 miles from South Bend but I talked to someone tonight with first-hand knowledge who said Notre Dame sent a Hummer stretch limo to pickup Oaks Christian quarterback Jimmy Clausen during his recent visit and commitment. Sounds a bit excessive, no?
``There’s also reports that a sports agent helped coordinate the public announcement of the commitment at the College Football Hall of Fame.''
Naturally, this upset Notre Dame fans.
But look at what my former Daily News colleague, Eric Sondheimer, wrote today in the L.A. Times.
``(The Clausen family) allowed an NFL agent, Gary Wichard, to put together the news conference . . . Wichard, who said he's a family friend, had his former employee, Jeff Freedman, a public relations specialist, call the College Hall of Fame to make arrangements to use the facility.
``Wichard confirmed he was among more than a dozen Clausen friends and family members who showed up at the Hall of Fame in a stretch limo escorted by police.''

Former USC wide receiver Derrick Jones, in his first track meet competing for Oregon, ran the 100-meters in 10.71 seconds and did not qualify for the final at the Pacific-10 Conference championships in Eugene, Ore.
Jones is expected to be part of the Ducks' 4 x 100-meter relay team that competes in today's final.

USC guard Gabe Pruitt: ``Ryan was a really good friend, teammate and person. We got really close in the short time he was here. He will truly be missed.''

USC forward Nick Young: ``He was a tough player on the court and a really cool guy off of it. It hurts really deep to see something like that happen. We became really close, I’m kind of at a loss for words. He helped me out in so many areas, not only on the court, but off it as well.''

USC guard Lodrick Stewart talked about teammate Ryan Francis, who was shot and killed this morning.
``Man, Ryan Francis was like the little brother I always wanted. He was funny, cool to be around and always kept that big smile on his face no matter how bad things were going.
``He really helped me a lot this year, just telling me to keep my head straight and stuff. It will never be the same without him here with me and all the long talks we had. I loved him like a little brother.''

Baton Rouge police just arrested someone related to this morning's shooting of USC point guard Ryan Francis. Police have not yet identified the suspect.
According to Lt. Keith Bates of the Baton Rouge police dept., Francis was pronounced dead at 3:40 a.m. with multiple gunshot wounds. He was shot after a car pulled up at an intersection next to the car where Francis was a passenger.
The car blocked the intersection and as Francis' car pulled away, a suspect fired at the car and hit Francis.
``He's a victim that happened to be present in the car,'' Bates said.

USC point guard Ryan Francis was shot and killed early this morning in Baton Rouge, La. Francis was in a car with friends when a bullet struck him. According to a USC spokesperson, one of Francis' friends was shot at his house earlier this week and Francis might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Francis went home for Mother's Day following the conclusion of USC's spring semester.
``We're all devastated,'' USC coach Tim Floyd said. ``We've lost a special young man who in his short time at USC made an impression that will last forever. He was a wonderful young man, a fine student and a leader who was admired by his teammates. He came from a great family. He loved his mother and talked about her all the time. This is just so, so sad.''
Francis averaged 7.1 points last season and was an All-Pacific-10 Conference freshman team honorable mention selection.

Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and offensive tackle Sam Baker are spending the weekend at a Phoenix-area resort as part of the Playboy All-American team.
This annual function is where the All-American team takes its group photo and generally bonds over the course of a few days. Last year, Reggie Bush skipped the event but later had his likeness digitally inserted into the team picture. Pete Carroll was the coach of last year's team.
USC center Ryan Kalil was a strong candidate for the team but Playboy selected West Virginia's Dan Mozes.

Not to spend too much time on this issue, but USC coach Pete Carroll had not received the California organization's letter Friday. It's also a little strange the group released the letter May 12 but dated it May 3.

The California National Organization for Women sent a letter to USC president Steven Sample and Coach Pete Carroll today expressing ``outrage'' for ``repeated gender-based crimes committed by USC football players that are ignored by the administration and swept under the rug by local law enforcement.''
If you want to read the letter, hit the link.

Quarterback Matt Leinart enjoyed a cozy existence at USC, required to speak to the media for just five minutes a week during the football season with an occasional longer interview in the offseason for magazine fluff stories.
Some readers were unhappy I referred to Leinart recently as ``petulant’’ after he fired his agent.
Well, now that he’s left his protective bubble, Leinart finally showed the public a glimpse of his coarser side in his latest ESPN diary. Apparently he’s upset people found out about his relationship with Paris Hilton (The nerve!).

This weekend is a big one for recruiters as many college coaches will attend the Stanford Nike Camp to evaulate the top recruits in the West. While watching recruits is the top priority, there also could be some interesting side drama when you have coaches from rival schools (USC, UCLA) interacting together.
One player the two rivals could be battling over is defensive end James Brooks of Flagstaff, Ariz. Another player that recently drew USC's interest is defensive back/tailback Shane Vereen of Valencia, who already was offered by UCLA.

USC lost two Heisman Trophy winners (Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush) plus one of the school's top 10 all-time rushers (LenDale White) but as the Trojans head toward summer, Coach Pete Carroll is really only concerned about the loss of Bush.
``We’ve lost the flash of Reggie, that’s it,’’ Carroll said. ``I love the quarterbacks (John David Booty, Mark Sanchez). The tight ends are good. We’ve got a big, strong running back. The question is what other element is there going to be on this team? And are we going to need it?’’
I'll go out on a limb now and say, yes, that extra element will be needed.

Remember Derrick Jones, the USC wide receiver who failed to meet NCAA academic requirements and left right after training camp in 2004?
Jones finally resurfaced at Oregon this semester and is waiting for the NCAA to tell him if he is eligible to play next season. He is considered a transfer because he took part in 11 days of training camp at USC and technically would need to redshirt an entire year at Oregon before being eligible. Jones did not enroll in classes at Oregon until this semester.
But track rules are different and Jones is immediately eligible to run for the Ducks. Jones makes his debut this weekend at the Pacific-10 Conference championships in Eugene, Ore., and will run the 100 meters along with the 4 x 100-meter relay for the Ducks, where he no doubt cannot wait to run against USC.

In January, USC coach Pete Carroll told Darnell Bing he would play tailback next season and be a significant two-way player for the Trojans during meetings to discuss whether Bing would turn pro or return for his senior season.

One of USC’s disappointments during the NFL draft was safety Darnell Bing slipping to the fourth round, where the Raiders selected him and apparently will try to move him to linebacker.
With that in mind, I asked an NFL GM why Bing slipped?
``If he was that good, why did Buffalo take a 5-9, 200-pound safety (Donte Whitner) with the eighth pick?'' the GM said.
Apparently, NFL people were also turned off by the Nike Sparq timing system used at USC on Pro Day. Although Bing was announced as running the 40 in 4.53 seconds, all NFL teams recorded him around 4.64.
``People didn't know how to deal with him, what position he should play. If I take a safety, I'm looking for a rocket,’’ the GM said.

Is it in the NCAA’s interest to rule former USC tailback Reggie Bush ineligible no matter what it finds regarding the living arrangement of his parents, etc.?
It often seems like the agency makes decisions to set an example and prevent future offenders, and if Bush is cleared, imagine the number of college athletes who might be tempted to use the ``I didn’t know what my parents were doing’’ defense. I’m certain that thought is going through the mind of NCAA officials right now.
Remember USC coach Pete Carroll, along with other USC administrators, felt the NCAA made its decision to rule former wide receiver Mike Williams ineligible before a review of how much money he accepted and paid back to an agent even started.

It turns out USC quarterback Matt Leinart nearly got his wish to play for the New York Jets. Although the Jets passed on Leinart with the fourth choice, they desperately tried to make a trade to secure him with the ninth pick, according to an NFL executive.
But the Detroit Lions rejected the Jets' overtures feeling the offers were too low. Once that trade fell through, the Cardinals picked Leinart with the 10th choice.

Notre Dame is considered one of the nation’s top 10 teams next season but the Irish want linebackers . . . bad.
``We have no linebackers. None,’’ an assistant coach recently told a recruit.
Ironically, one of the linebackers currently on the team is Anthony Vernaglia from Orange Lutheran, whom USC coach Pete Carroll doggedly recruited even after Vernaglia committed to Notre Dame.

Someone told me that 11 USC football players were either arrested or investigated by police since April, 2003. That number seemed wrong to me, so I made my own list and it turned out to be low. A logical question, of course, is how many Ohio State, Florida State or fill-in-your-own-school’s players were arrested/investigated in the same time period?
I think it’s important to separate arrests from investigations, however. There are police investigations that go on every day but the only time you hear about them is when a public figure is involved. Ask the Lakers’ Kwame Brown about that. And the two investigations involving USC players did not result in arrests of players.

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez took a final exam in a different classroom than the rest of the students, perhaps to limit distractions for him and the other students. Sanchez remains on ``interim suspension’’ at USC following his arrest for suspicion of sexual assault but is allowed to take finals, which end this week.

Time for another popular Ed Orgeron story. Before Paul Hackett’s final season, Hackett hired A.J. Christoff as linebackers coach. Christoff is one of the few coaches in history to say he was an assistant at USC, UCLA and Notre Dame.
Anyways, near the end of the season there was a particularly heated discussion during a defensive coaches meeting. With Christoff seated in front of a dry-erase board hanging on a wall, Orgeron became so upset, he threw a punch at the wall, just to the right of Christoff’s head.
For years, there was a dent in the dry-erase board to signify the jovial nature of Hackett’s final season.

Tailback Chauncey Washington said he got all A's on his final exams and will be eligible to play next season. Washington automatically becomes the No. 1 tailback going into training camp. More details in today's Daily News.

USC is notoriously slow on construction projects but the world moves for graduation. In just a few hours Saturday, a huge metal tent was constructed on Howard Jones Field for this week's graduation ceremonies.
Any USC players who want to work out privately this week won't be completely out of luck because Cromwell Field is untouched by graduation ceremonies.

You can’t even sign on to AOL’s home page without being hit by a Matt Leinart-Paris Hilton story. Here’s a quote: ``They are definitely a couple," said one eyewitness. "No question about that. Their body language says it. The look in the eyes to each other says it. The open kissing and arms around each other in front of his family and friends says it. They just don’t want it in the magazines.’’
Our spies spotted Leinart and Hilton being, uh, cozy, in March. At the time, Leinart only smiled when asked about the romance.
But the couple went public immediately after the NFL draft. Couldn’t be that Leinart was worried his celebrity canoodling would turn off pro teams? Not that it worked because it’s probably a reason some teams that picked before Arizona passed on Leinart.
Personally, I’m all for Leinart dating Hilton if it makes him happy. I remember last season there was only one time I saw him in the lobby of Heritage Hall when he wasn’t looking down at the ground or barely acknowledging his teammates.
He was actually engaged and almost animated in the company of a friend. As I got closer, it turned out to be actor Wilmer Valderamma.

A Football Futures odds on teams winning the national championship currently shows USC trailing Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and West Virginia. On the plus side, the Trojans are tied with ``Field,’’ Texas and Florida.

Ohio State +600
Notre Dame +650
Oklahoma +650
West Virginia +800
Florida +1200
USC +1200
Field +1200
Texas +1200

Carmen Trutanich, the lawyer for Hershel Dennis, Eric Wright and Rey Maualuga, offered his own opinion on the Mark Sanchez case.
``From what I'm hearing from people, it looks like a weak case,'' Trutanich said.

Former USC assistant coach DeWayne Walker, now UCLA’s defensive coordinator, will hold his annual defensive backs camp at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on July 1. USC assistant coach Demetrice Martin will also participate in the camp, which is limited to the first 100 high-school athletes. Former USC cornerbacks Kevin Arbet and Kris Richard participated in last year’s camp. The camp fee is $60. Group rates are $55.
Information: 818-919-6587

For the past week, I’ve alluded to possible witnesses that could aid USC quarterback Mark Sanchez following his arrest for suspicion of sexual assault.
I spoke to one of those witnesses Thursday and confirmed their statements would be viewed as favorable toward Sanchez’s case in legal terms.
``I’ve heard both versions,’’ the witness said. ``Of course I don’t believe Mark did it.’’
Once again, as information comes forward, the case seems to favor Sanchez.

USC guard Lodrick Stewart planned to announce this week he was turning pro. Note I did not say make himself available for the NBA draft without hiring an agent, but definitely ``turning pro.’’
But Stewart was advised by his father and USC coach Tim Floyd to return for his senior season and will now remain with the Trojans. Much like last year, Stewart will need to improve his academics during final exams and summer school to be eligible next season.

Mark Sanchez's attorney, Leonard Levine, just released the following statement:

``Mark comes from a close-knit and very supportive family. They are
proud of the ethics and integrity that Mark has always displayed on
and off the field. Anyone close to Mark knows that he is a young man
of exceptional character.
``Obviously, this is a very difficult time for the Sanchez family, but they have confidence that facts surrounding this matter will come to light and Mark's good name will be cleared.
``Mark and his family also would like to offer their sincere
appreciation to the hundreds of people who have extended their
support during this difficult time.''

The commitments of high school quarterbacks Aaron Corp (Orange Lutheran) and Samson Szakacsy (Camarillo) demonstrated how quickly USC wanted to move once the Trojans lost out on their top two choices, Jimmy Clausen and Mike Paulus, who selected Notre Dame and North Carolina. It also showed recent events probably played a role.
Ordinarily, USC would hold off on Corp and Szakacsy until their summer camp for further evaluation, because the Trojans are notoriously picking about handing out scholarships. But that was before Mark Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault last week.
The Trojans moved extraordinarily fast by their recent standards and locked up commitments by Corp and Szakacsy on the same day. At least now everyone knows the quarterback class for 2007.

Word around USC is that super-lawyer Carmen Trutanich, who represented Hershel Dennis, Eric Wright and Rey Maualuga, will no longer represent Trojan players.
Trutanich is upset his daughter did not get accepted to USC and holds his sometimes nemesis, vice president of student affairs Michael Jackson, responsible.

There continues to be a growing feeling among a variety of sources that quarterback Mark Sanchez seems to have a pretty decent case against last week's sexual-assault charges.
These sources are not related to the football program, so they are not protecting Sanchez, and also includes a law-enforcement expert. This is not a prediction of what the district attorney's office will do, only an attempt to keep you updated with the latest information.

It can be foolish to talk about a recruit who commits well before graduating from high school. One example is Mater Dei forward Taylor King, who committed to UCLA as a freshman and two years later committed to Duke.
But I think the projected role of Servite running back D.J. Shoemate, who committed last week despite being a sophomore, is intriguing enough to discuss.
According to a source, Shoemate is expected to be ``a lot like Reggie Bush,'' which means he will line up at tailback and also wide receiver. That was the biggest headache for defenses that played USC the past few years and it speaks highly of Shoemate.

USC coach Pete Carroll just started a two-week road trip where he makes a major recruiting to Arizona and other out-of-state locations. Even with the recent turmoil, recruiting is one area that remains unaffected.

The official score sheet with the long-jump results dried out and was faxed to USC tonight. The handwritten sheet shows Jesse Williams jumped 7.30 meters, which is 23-feet, 11-inches. USC, and the public-address announcer, believed Williams jumped 24-2½, which would have won the long jump and given the Trojans the team victory. But the recorded mark of 7.30 means that means UCLA wins the dual meet.
However, I'm not a document or handwriting expert and I'm looking at a photocopy of the faxed original, so I can't attest to its accuracy.

UCLA contacted USC this afternoon and said it found the official handwritten results from the dual meet in a trash can. They said the results confirm Jesse Williams' top jump was 23-feet, 11-inches and not 24-2½, and will fax a copy to USC as soon as they dry out from being in the trash.

A controversy’s developed in the wake of UCLA’s 83-80 victory over USC in the men’s portion of the dual track meet last weekend. USC believes meet officials mixed up the results of the long jump and Trojan long jumper Jesse Williams won the event but was incorrectly placed second.
Williams jumped 24-feet, 2½-inches, a distance that was announced on the public-address system to the crowd and is audible on the Fox Sports telecast of the meet. But somehow on the official results, Williams is credited with 23-11½. UCLA’s Dominique Easterling is credited with winning the event with a jump of 24-1.
Mysteriously, track officials that worked the meet said the result sheets from the meet, which are done by hand for each individual event, had not located by Monday night. The head of officials referred the matter to an official in charge of the long jump, who does not remember Williams’ marks.
Witnesses in the pressbox said there was a debate during the long jump over the results.
It’s important because if Williams won the event, USC wins the meet, 82-81.

This comes from a former NFL head coach who spoke to the main parties: Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is from Houston. Quarterback Vince Young is from Houston. Adams ordered the Titans to take Young over Matt Leinart over objections from the front office and coaches. End of story.

We’re 2,000 miles from South Bend but I talked to someone tonight with first-hand knowledge who said Notre Dame sent a Hummer stretch limo to pickup Oaks Christian quarterback Jimmy Clausen during his recent visit and commitment. Sounds a bit excessive, no?
There’s also reports that a sports agent helped coordinate the public announcement of the commitment at the College Football Hall of Fame.

Here's the current network TV schedule for next season. All times Pacific. More ABC selections will be known later this week while Fox announces around June 1.

Sept. 16 -- Nebraska at USC, 5 p.m. Pacific, ABC-TV
Nov. 25 -- Notre Dame at USC, 5 p.m., ABC-TV
Dec. 2 -- USC at UCLA, 1:30 p.m., ABC-TV

Here's the post-draft free-agent signings:

Punter Tom Malone, San Francisco
Cornerback Justin Wyatt, Arizona
Wide receiver William Buchanon, Oakland
Cornerback John Walker, Houston
Safety Scott Ware, Philadelphia

Weekend reports about the living arrangement between Matt Leinart and Dwayne Jarrett were the latest controversy to envelop the program. Leinart's father, Bob, claimed he's been told Jarrett might owe him $10,000 because its not known whether it was legal for Bob Leinart to pay a portion of their rent.
Bob Leinart claimed the rent was about $3,800 and that his son and Jarrett each paid $650.
USC's compliance office is investigating the manner, however, unlike the issues regarding Reggie Bush, the university seems prepared to ``fight back'' on this one, according to several sources.
``This is ridiculous,'' a source said. ``Bob Leinart jumped the gun and went public when there's been no proof of wrongdoing.''

Our spies tell us that Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn was scheduled to be in Southern California over the weekend and thinking of meeting with a major Hollywood talent agency, possibly William Morris.
Quarterbacks are becoming rock stars of pop culture apparently, or maybe talent agencies are getting tired of actors.