Another Kick in the Pants for USC
Big-league help may have violated rules
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The latest allegations against USC involve its punting and kicking game.
As if USC's football program hasn't received enough attention from NCAA officials.
The latest allegations, reported Wednesday in the Los Angeles Times, claim football Coach Pete Carroll got some help from a former NFL tactician last season to help with the team's punting and kicking game. That's a possible violation of NCAA rules that bar consultants from coaching.
If it feels like piling on, that's probably because the allegations continue to rack up against USC. The NCAA has had its eye on USC for more than three years.
And it's not just the football team that has the NCAA's attention. The school's hoops program has been under investigation for the last year, according to the Times.
Allegations of improper payments to two players are the focus of the probe. But the NCAA's broader question is whether USC has lost "institutional control" of its athletics department.
The latest issue involves Pete Rodriguez, who has coached professionally. He told the Times he attended USC practices, monitored games and offered Carroll behind-the-scenes input "on matters ranging from the needs of individual players to avoiding penalties during punt returns."
Rodriguez said he believed his work complied the NCAA rules. The NCAA has a cap on the number of coaches and it restricts consultants.
"We are aware of this issue and are looking into the matter," James Grant, USC's media relations director, said in a statement Wednesday to the Times.
Posted Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 - 10:35 AM CST
