Sunday, December 20, 2009

Lack of Institutional Control at USC?

A look at the off-field incidents of the USC football team under Pete Carroll, starting with the latest story which may be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of the NCAA citing the athletic department with a lack of institutional control:

  1. December 2009 - RB Joe McKnight was reportedly seen driving a SUV registered to a Santa Monica businessman. The owner, Scott Schenter, has said that the car belongs to McKnight's girlfriend but it is under his name because her family did not qualify for the loan. In any case, McKnight should have known better and will be lucky to get away with just a slap on the wrist.
  2. July 2009 - LB Jordan Campbell and DE Everson Griffen were cited for being loud at a party in Nantucket, MA, which was better that what was first reported, that they were arrested for a breach of peace. Knuckleheads...
  3. September 2008 - CB Shareece Wright was charged with resisting a police officer after not leaving a party,  ignoring a cop's orders. A plea agreement was made where Wright pled no contest to disturbing the peace. Wright was already out for the 2008 season with a neck, and missed 2009 due to a brain fart.
  4. March 2008 - DT Fili Moala was arrested for obstructing an officer and resisting after a bar fight. Moala was smart enough to leave the scene of the crime but for some reason ran back into the bar and was arrested. Moala was, surprise, not charged for the incident. But it did not stop Todd McShay from predicting he would be the number 1 pick in the 2009 draft.
  5. May 2007 - CB/FS Josh Pinkard was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. He plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 36 months of probation.
  6. August 2006 - CBs Brandon and Ryan Ting decided to leave the team. It was later discovered that Brandon tested positive for steroids. Good bye to their 3.9 GPA and lowering out APR score. I don't remember, but hopefully Brandon was the good one.
  7. June 2006 - WR Dwayne Jarrett shared an apartment with Matt Leinart, but paid less than his share of the rent. Leinart's father paid for most of the rent, and was viewed by the NCAA as a violation. Jarrett was reinstated once he donated the difference Leinart's father paid in rent to a charity of his choice.
  8. April 2006 - RB Reggie Bush allegedly took improper benefits from prospective agents while playing out his junior (Heisman) season at USC. His parents were said to be living in a house rent free, as the rent was paid by Michael Michaels (that's really his name), a marketing agency investor. In April 2009, the NCAA combined the Bush investigation with that of O.J. Mayo to see if USC is lacking institutional control. Death Penalty here we come!
  9. April 2006 - QB Mark Sanchez was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault by a woman who claimed that Sanchez made unwanted advances on her. Charges were dropped due to lack of evidence, as the case was essentially a one-on-one allegation. Sanchez also used a fake ID when he was arrested and was cited for underage drinking. He had also broke a window at a frat party in an earlier indicent. Sanchez took a rape awareness class at USC and was later reinstated. 
  10. January 2006 - Possible recruiting violations arise at Papadakis Tavern, where some recruits are treated to an expensive dinner miles away from campus. A visit to the restaurant has since been removed from future recruiting visits.
  11. December 2005 - QB Matt Leinart was briefly ineligible for the 2006 Rose Bowl game (Vince Young's coming out party) after filming a promotional bit for ESPN.  He was reinstated by the NCAA after USC petitioned; apparently it was a money issue for them.
  12. November 2005 - LB Rey Maualuga was arrested for allegedly punching another student at an off-campus party. Maualuga was allowed to play in the game that same weekend. No charges were filed against Maualuga, showing he did indeed "own the police."
  13. August 2005 - DE Frostee Rucker was charged with spousal abuse (charges were filed in June the following year, after he left USC). Rucker settled with a plea agreement.
  14. May 2005 - DT Manuel Wright failed to qualify academically and declared for the NFL Supplemental Draft.  Wright was also arrested on three misdemeanor charges, including assaulting one of his roommates and assault with a deadly weapon. Nick Saban also made him cry at one of his first Dolphin practices.
  15. March 2005 - CB Eric Wright was arrested on suspicion of rape at an on-campus apartment. The charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence, even though 136 Ecstasy pills were found in his apartment. He transferred to UNLV a few months later.
  16. August 2004 - RB Hershel Dennis was investigated for sexual assault after he had sex with a female who was drunk. He was reinstated after the investigation was dropped due to, surprise, a lack of evidence. Too bad Reggie Bush and LenDale White had already established themselves.
  17. April 2004 - WR Mike Williams declared for the NFL Draft on the heels of Ohio State RB Maurice Clarett challenging the NFL's three years out of high school rule. Courts later ruled that decision void, and Williams was unable to regain eligibility at USC.
  18. March 2004 - OT Winston Justice was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after he shot at another student with a pellet gun. It was Justice's second arrest in eight months; he was arrested for soliciting prostitution from an undercover police officer. He plead guilty on a lesser charge, exhibiting a replica firearm, and was suspended for two semesters.
I'm sure I'm missing some incidents. But in addition to these, players being academically ineligible also hurt the program, in terms of APR scores and the number of scholarships the school gets. Here's a list of players who were academically ineligible during Carroll's tenure:
  1. Darnell Bing: 2002 
  2. Stanley Havili: 2009 (Spring semester; Rose Bowl only)
  3. Whitney Lewis: 2004 (redshirt)
  4. Anthony McCoy: 2010 (Spring semester, will miss Emerald Bowl)
  5. Joe McKnight: 2008 (Spring semester)
  6. Tyron Smith: 2010 (Spring semester, will miss Emerald Bowl)
  7. Matt Spanos: 2006
  8. Averell Spicer: 2010 (Spring semester, will miss Emerald Bowl)
  9. Troy Van Blarcom: 2007 (Dismissed)
  10. Chauncey Washington: 2004 (redshirt) and 2005
  11. Manuel Wright: 2005 (declared for Supplemental Draft)
  12. Shareece Wright: 2009
Again, probably missing some from this list as well. Feel free to add to this.

2 comments:

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