What Do I Think?
I find the NCAA penalties to be over the top considering almost all of it revolves around two superstar athletes. There have been cases at other schools where 40-60 athletes were involved and the penalties were far less severe. It's clear the NCAA wanted to make sure it established a tough guy image because of the high-profile nature of the case.
That said, the NCAA report illustrates just how little many people at USC did to monitor situations or question what was going on. You can throw Pete Carroll, Tim Floyd and Mike Garrett into this category. And that's led to the current mess for the football and basketball players, most of whom who were not even around during the violations to deal with.
For once, I agree with Scooter. The penalties are overwhelmingly too severe, but it's irrefutable that the USC Compliance Office did very little overseeing. Of that, there can be no debate.
The bottom line: USC has had more national championships in football taken away by the NCAA, than UCLA has ever won, or will ever win. If the NCAA had done its job during the Wooden era and investigated Sam Gilbert with similar diligence, then UCLA would have received the death penalty for its athletic program, and all those basketball championship banners would be gathering dust in a closet someplace.
FIGHT ON!
can't have it both ways, Wolfie. The fact that it only involved a few superstars is irrelevant. What was punished was the lack of monitoring you mention. The entire place stank during this period - the fact that they only caught Reggie and OJ is a different story (and shows how inept the NCAA really is).
Way to deflect Old Fool, er, School. Point the finger at a dead guy. Way to man up....just like a trogan. Cheat On!
Why is the common response from USC fans to attempt to deride non-USC fans (as well as their universities, like UCLA) because non-USC fans appear happy as a result of the NCAA sanctions. You are correct, these sanctions do not improve other schools, teams and fans. One does not benefit from another's troubles. Other universities and their football programs must stand on their own. If they fail, the fault is theirs. But why is it difficult for USC fans to understand that it is a universal and entirely understandable feeling to be happy when a cheat is (1) caught and (2) punished??? Justice is enjoyable!!! Lying, cheating, blatantly violating NCAA rules, USC rules and Coach Carroll's rules, and then laughing about it, have CONSEQUENCES!! This is why EVERYONE is happy today!! It could have been OJ or Tiger, or anyone else who finally received what they so richly deserved. Now everyone has proof positive and just maybe the intelligent approach for USC fans is to start doing something so that your university stands for something other than lying and cheating. It can be done but the job does not appear to be on the way. This is your responsibility, no one else's.
Wolfie, you are in the Denial stage of the grieving process. A coach was involved. And the HC and AD did nothing when they found out. This is not some asst coach or tutor or booster. These are the top execs of the University!
Oh ChuckieBuckie, wherever you are, you were so right. I'll never doubt you again.
@Stanford 91 - I don't think you'd see USC fans saying anything about other schools if they didn't come over here to rub it in our collective face. I think a majority of USC fans are pretty disappointed in the actions of two former athletes, some coaches and what appears to be a poorly run athletic department/compliance office and we're not really in the mood for people such as yourself popping up today.
For example, let's say your kid has a run in with the law and then I come over and tell you your kid looks to be a bit of a f&%k up. I'm guessing you're not going to invite me in for a beer and ask me for more of my opinion.
Just sayin you could let it sit for a couple days before you pull out the insufferable prick routine.
Petey always prided on having sports agents in the locker room and at practices, especially during those first several years.
The penalties were not harsh enough! Go ahead, appeal, drag it on, just in time for Joe McFumble's investigation to complete and Barkley's recruitment to be in full thing!
Cheat On!
Good points LanceKiffin. But as Pete Carroll was known to say, "It's never too early to bring out the insufferable prick routine."
Wolfie:
DUDE are you HIGH???? You probably think Life in Prison is too severe a punishment for convicted murderers too, right? You stupid enough to believe the coaches and administration didn't know? HAHAHAHAHA!!!! LMFAO!!!!
SUC is the DIRTIEST program in America. They sold their souls for victories and are now paying the price.
Don't forget that SUC was a REPEAT offender, from 2001 and there was a "lack of institutional control."
POOR little lost Trogans, still don't get it. Still trying to assign guilt for your sins. Still don't get that this was NOT just about Reggie. What about Leinert? What about Steve Smith? What about Joe McKnight and many others we haven't heard of? You guys still stupid enough to believe that the Coaches and Garrett didn't know? LMFAO!!!!
Lloyd Lake claimed to have a taped conversation of him and Chetey Petey. Where he clearly told him of his intentions to give the Bush Family free housing. What did Chetey say? "Just make sure ALL the paperwork is in order." As in leases, etc. Reggie and you schmucks tried to make Lloyd into a lying ex-convict. I guess we really know who was telling the truth now!!!!
You F'ers still can't get your heads out of the sand. How about looking in the mirror for once? Oh, that's right, you might not like what you see. CHEAT ON!!!!
way over the top. to be fair the ncaa should investigate every college program this deeply. total singling out of one program. where the USC lawyers? fight back.
Stanford 91, USC sports programs are being punished because of failures by the athletic dept, coaches and the 3 athletes.
Yet you ascribe lying and cheating to the entire university.
That's why you and your ilk can go f yourselves.
Jon, apparently I ruined your day. Sorry. But good to know your USC education has enabled you to respond with class and dignity. In fact, I did not "ascribe" anything to the university. I simply pointed out the perception held by everyone other than the USC community. This is your problem, not mine.
Maurice Jones-Drew still poops his pants a little when he even sees a picture of Lawrence Jackson. True story.
Bruinfaithful, you have so much hate in your heart.
What would John Wooden say about your behavior?
Stanford, you said nothing about perception, but made a statement couched as fact: "start doing something so that your university stands for something other than lying and cheating". "Ascribe" fits.
Good to know your Stanford upbringing has kept your nose pointed in the air with your presumed class. Insufferable pricks indeed.
Don't UCLA and Stanford have their own blog sites or have their respective universities (assuming they actually attended them) not discovered the internet yet? Maybe their "better educations" have provided them with a whole lot of spare time. FYI, Stanford '91 and Bruin dregs, the reason you don't see SC fans trolling your school's websites is that we really don't care about you or what you think of us. Your palpable resentment of us proves that we really are better than you.
The cheater was caught, identified and NOT punished. Reggie Bush and his family. Who was actually punished? The new kids on the team with the bowl ban. Scholarships: A hard, difficult penalty, which can be swallowed and dealt with through good recruiting. Forfeits: Embarrasses and punishes the past, ie those who participated in the alleged wrongdoing. A fine, restitution of bowl winnings from the "illegal" years - a proper punishment. Bowl ban now and in the future when none of the players involved are anywhere around, and actually making millions elsewhere? A pyrrhic victory. Accomplishes nothing, destroys and damages the sport itself. Take away Bush's Heisman, make him pay back his scholarship. And please remove his jersey number from the peristyle end so we don't puke every time we attend a game. But a bowl ban on the new crop of kids? Ridiculous, shameful, purposeless, and completely predictable from the senile, egomaniacal, tunnel-visioned bunch that is the NCAA infractions committee. Drive your own sport into the ground already.
I don't feel sorry one bit for any of the players on this team having to play with sanctions...they were all told about the investigation prior to signing the LOI...and they all said that they always wanted to be Trogans...so live with it!
The NCAA penalized SC for lack of institutional control,not just a few situations.The object is to clean up the act,not complain that everybody does it so why should we be penalized.Accept the penalties and hope that Lane Kiffen or Orgeron doesn't get SC killed before the probation is over. The odds against Kiffen are huge;he'll screw up.
you know who's not being hammered by the NCAA? UCLA.