What, Me Worry?
Considering the highest-profile player on the team is ineligible, there’s an impressive lack of concern over the status of wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett around USC. There seems to be an overwhelming feeling Jarrett will be declared eligible before the season once he pays back any money he owes Bob Leinart for living at Matt Leinart’s downtown apartment.
Again, this whole situation would be handled internally (between USC’s compliance office and the NCAA) with little fanfare if Bob Leinart did not leak the story to the media because he and Matt Leinart’s advisors were worried the matter might affect the quarterback's image. Instead, it placed a negative focus on Jarrett, a more preferable scenario.
i hope matt's smarter than his dumb father....there's no excuse for this kind of behavior from the player's or their parents, especially for the players involved....obviously there's a disconnect between the university, ncaa and the student players and their families.....my guess is that some lawyer has determined that it doesn't realy matter or the rules are to vague...it's probably time for the ncaa to change the rules and/or define them better....!!
interesting, they were more wooried about Matt's image over a rent issue but not over being "involved" with Paris Hilton.
Un-freaking-believable!
His football image is already tarnished over his hollywood lifestyle, which is part of the reason he slipped in the draft. I've lost all respect for him and his handlers. What a joke.
We are all so dismissive of Leinart and with good reason. After all, he lost TWO games in three seasons. And only won the Heisman ONCE and the national title only TWICE.
Why are you so eager to toss him aside now that he has left school?
How original, another father from the 2005 team more concerned about his son’s profitability or image, than supporting the school that helped make it all possible.
Anyway, bring on the 2006 season, and the new heroes. Maybe their parents will know how to support both.
Maybe this year team can win a bowl game.
Fight On!
I wonder what Carroll and Garrett really think about the two "Dads"; Matts and Reggies. Do you think they have private talks to try and figure out which one is Dumb and which one is Dumber.
If Bob and Lamarr are reading this: YOU ARE BOTH MORONS!!
Thanks Paragon SC for your support over the past few years. Try not to break your leg while hopping off the SC bandwagon. You've lost all respect for the greatest Trojan and college football QB of all time - nice.
I agree that I don't really think his dad was right to handle the Jarrett issue the way he did but to turn on Matt is inexcusable. So he's "Hollywood" - what does that have to do with his ability to throw TDs or lead a team?
I guess if you were the photogenic leader of the greatest sports team in Los Angeles history (and for most of Matt's years at USC - in the entire US), constantly surrounded by celebrities, in one of the largest media centric cities in the world you would't be influenced at all.
If anything I give Matt props for staying as grounded as he is - most other kids in that situation would be coked out of their minds about 90% of the time and sleeping with a different celeb/stripper every night.
Congrats to you for being better than the rest of us.
SHAME TO ALL TROJANS THAT NOW SLAM MATT AS HE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG...HE GAVE 100% TO TROY AND EVEN PASSED UP A "HUGE PAY DAY" TO RETURN TO HIS TEAM...NOW SOME FANS JUMP HIM FOR HAVING "FUN" AND ENJOYING LIFE...."OH HOW QUICK WE FORGET"
most of those people who turn their back on Matt or reggie (who happen to be one of the top two best players at their position to ever play at USC) are not real fans. They are the bandwagon schizo fans who only like SC when they are winning, but during the dark years when we loosing wouldn't even read an article on SC football. lame a**es
ROC I'm with you man. It's the "bandwagon fans". No self respecting members of the TF or long time supporters would get on someone's PARENTS to get at them. Scott, I'm so disappointed. Everyone skewers you but I always give you the benefit of the doubt and respect that a sports journalist must stir the pot. But it looks like when you're dealing with Matt Leinart you are just plain hateful and unfair. I'm sure that Matts father had no intention of screwing Jarrett and the whole thing had to be handled publicly anyway in light of the garbage diggers and smear artists that are attacking the program and the university these days.
Fine, Bob Leinart has now tried to through both Carroll and Jarrett under the bus in order to maximize the value of his meal ticket, his son. He may indeed be an a$$, but he is not the first and is certainly not the last selfish, overbearing sports father, so to automatically lump Matt in with his father is ridiculous. Matt may not be genuine, and he seems to be somewhat of a diva, but so what. He also was one of the greatest college quaterbacks ever, and the confidence that might rub some people the wrong way off the field allowed him to become the field general of an offense that is the standard future college offenses must compare themselves to, like the '85 Chicago Bears are for NFL defenses. And Matt conducted himself well on and off the field, though somewhat apart from his teammates, and any alumnus should feel that Matt represented the University well.
That said, I have no problem with any pot shots taken at Bob Leinart. Obnoxious sports fathers need to be put in their place. But leave Matt alone.
All you "fans" who don't like the critical opinion, go on over to USCs rivals.com site where that coward Ryan deletes anything that isnt 100% pro-USC. There you can comfortably wear your Cardinal & Gold colored glasses and feel that everything at Troy is perfect.
Just because someone points out what is screwed-up with USC football doesnt mean they are not a fan. Some of us are such fans, we belong to booster clubs. Some of us were even boosters in the pre-Pete era. Deal with it.
that's funny...a guy who runs a different blog site (in Miami no less) bagging on people about "journalism"...bloggers in general who have no journalistic background and do not report to an editor or have friends who have no journalistic background (i.e. they don't have a job or got fired twice in four months) should not be making any comments. Just enjoy your little web world and move on...
I agree with USC 89...if you want to put your head in the sand and pretend nothing happened, just go to the other websites with the C&G glasses...I like Leinart and Bush too, but let's face it...they didn't exactly leave the university or the program with positive PR after they left and the way the rules are set up, it's USC that gets burned and not them.
Uh, CH I thank you for that. Yes, my journalist that I think a lot of was fired (I take it that this is Jim DeFede but I have many more who work in journalism.) But WHAT does that have to do with ANYTHING?
I am not the only contributor to said blog (which actually deas with local politics in Florida) and I actually spend more time in LA and NY than in Miami. But again WHAT does that have to do with anything?
Both Leinart and Bush would have to club a hundred baby seals and defecate on the bones of Mother Teresa before I even begin to consider entertaining the possibility of maybe not liking them.
Their parents are another thing, but #11 and #5? They've earned more than enough good will for a while. Anyone who says different needs some more prozac or needs to go back to practicing their eight clap.
Fair point Jonathan. But if SC's record is in jeopardy going back to 2004 that woould indicate that the New ERA situation was going on for a while and I would have a hard time understanding that Reggie didn't know what was going on. If he did and didn't say anything about that is a bit disturbing. Wouldn't you agree?
As for Matt, I will agree that he gave his heart and soul to SC. By playing an extra year he left a lot of money on the table so he should be commended. My frustration is with his not focusing on football first once he left SC. All these outside distractions will call into question his desire to perform at a higher level. Like it or not he will always be associated with SC so his actions will always be associated with the program. It may not be fair but its just how it is, so those of us who place a higher value on image over winning will be a little peeved if SC's image is tarnished by the perceived selfishness of oportunistic players and their parents.
No one's perfect. Sometimes we crash our parents' car, and sometimes we sleep with Paris Hilton. No big whoop.
Paragon, you are a crack up. Toss everyone over the side the second the media spotlight's glare gets intense.
You're so busy crapping on our players you've forgotten why everyone's paying attention to the slightest move of, what, 100 players?
There's a recurring pattern here, but it's not the one you think, Paragon.
Charges, case dismissed.
Charges, case dismissed.
Charges, case dismissed.
Why do you think that is?