What does USC want to be?

I would rather be medicore in basketball than win with a bunch of questionable kids who bring shame to the University. My vote would be for Garrett and/or Floyd to go if they can't play by the rules. Somebody has to be held accountable for the Mayo mess and the Bush debacle. We don't want to become like the Sons of Westweird.

"My vote would be for Garrett and/or Floyd to go if..."

Thanks for being someone finally willing to talk about this. I'm surprised Floyd isn't on the hot seat to a greater extent than he appears to be. Mayo was a questionable "get" to begin with - too much trouble for one year's worth of performance - and now we find that Floyd was acting like a fawning git with an agent's runner. Very bad form on Floyd's part. It brings into serious question whether he's the right person to be running USC basketball.

Have to agree, why isn't Floyd on the hot seat? Maybe he is in within the admin, but this is deplorable for Floyd to act like he doesn't know what's going on. I can't believe Mr. Peabody Sample will allow this kind of crap to go on much more, I can see him really reigning in the programs.

Scott,
your article was pretty blunt but I've got to agree. Whether or not Mayo took the money, and whether or not Floyd knew anything, it doesn't change the rest. After the Trepanier incident, Guillory should not have been allowed anywhere near an SC athlete. The other schools are circling like giddy vultures with the Bush incident already. This new accusation is just more fuel.

Scott, Here's the problem with the whole Mayo thing and the NCAA. The NCAA rules are designed for an era when schools and alums would rain gifts on players as a quid pro quo for getting the players to play at the school. The Rhett Bomar case at Oklahoma is prototypical of how the NCAA uses its heavy hand to ensure that players aren't being paid to choose one school over another. But Mayo and Bush (if he did what was alleged) are just the opposite. The benefits they received had nothing to do with USC or them attending USC. They had to do with agents wanting to develop relationships with budding superstar athletes.

If the NCAA wants to continue to make quality football and basketball competition available, it's going to have to figure out some accommodation for stars like Bush and Mayo. Right now, they have the hammer of the minimum age requirements of the NFL and NBA. But both leagues are a litigant (better than Maurice Clarret) and a federal judge away from not having the authority to collude in such age discrimination.

I was shocked to find that the work I found in college writing software back in the day would not have been approved had I been a college athlete. Too much money, too flexible hours, etc. Starting your own business while in college? More and more college kids are doing that, especially in digital services areas. Forget playing sports.

is floyd the type of coach usc wants to run its basketball program? sure hes a great on-court strategist, but his ethics are up for serious examination.

as more and more details about his knowledge of and involvement with extremely questionable circumstances become public (and usc/garret had to have known of it all obviously), usc needs to distance itself as far as possible from floyd asap to not further tarnish the usc image as a whole nationwide (worldwide?), and take the high road and axe him asap.

floyd did the deed his way (with mayo, johnson, derozon-romeo...), and got usc basketball on the map...now all usc needs to do is finish the tainted ritual and axe floyd as its sacrificial scapegoat.

i do want sc basketball to be successful, but dang this is a sucky way to do it...

Isn't it a little premature to call for Floyd's head? If he's really to blame for the O.J. Mayo thing than it would only be one strike against him.