Better Than It's Ever Been Done ... ?
by Displaced Trojan
on Feb 13, 2007 1:37 PM PST
in Football
A funny thing occurred to me last night as I posted a take here about the latest in a string of "controversies" to threaten the reputation of USC Football ...
I'm getting tired of this crap.
Certainly, I understand it all comes with the territory. I know that unprecedented success on the field and on the recruiting trail, in a major metropolitan market with no NFL team, has created a "perfect storm" of heightened media attention and acute scrutiny of USC.
No doubt, I understand the fact that high-profile athletes and successful college sports programs are primary targets for muckraking journalists, jealous rivals and other gold-digging elements.
But this supposed residue of USC's college football greatness is starting to wear the Teflon of success a little too thin for my taste.
I know that Hershel Dennis and Mark Sanchez were exonerated of sexual assault. I know Rey Maualuga has taken anger management courses and did community service to pay for his outbursts during a tough time in his life. I know Dwayne Jarrett catching a break on rent from Matt Leinart's father was really a small issue in the overall scheme of things.
But after a while, this crap starts to become a burden.
Really, I understand that the NCAA won't come close to proving that USC knew or should have known anything about Reggie Bush and his idiotic family's dealings with crooked sports agents. I know that phone records will prove that Pete Carroll never set up a conference call between Bush and No. 1 recruit Joe McKnight.
But I have to ask ... when is this crap going to stop? However alleged, non-factual, inaccurate, unwarranted, and flat-out-stupid it might be ... is all of this completely out of our control?
Even if we can explain it all away with common sense scenarios, absence of fact, and third-party validation, we still have to acknowledge this crap and deal with it.
No doubt, I know that USC Football will emerge unscathed from all of this, and our national championship trophies are safe in Heritage Hall. I know there is every reason to believe that we will be adding more hardware to our historic collection.
But how many measured statements out of Tim Tessalone's crisis communications handbook do we have to hear on our way to another BCS bowl game? How much fuel do we have to give the haters across town and the inferiority-complexed southerners, while we defend another No. 1 ranking?
Don't get me wrong. I believe in our man Carroll. I believe in his unique approach and his player's-coach style and the evolved philosophy that has brought unprecedented success to USC Football. I believe in the Magic Tennis Book!
But, I also know that Carroll's stated mission is to "do things better than it's ever been done before." I know it's difficult, maybe even unrealistic. As Caroll has also said, "That stuff, it is kind of nasty. You just don't know where it's coming from and people are out to get you. It can get kind of hard."
But if USC Football is to get there, if we really do believe as true Trojans that we will do this better than it's ever been done before, we should acknowledge that perhaps we are falling short of that mission today.
It's a noble thing for Carroll to aim higher than mere mortals. And we embrace the opportunity and added responsibility to transcend the common pattern of other highly successful programs like Miami ... or Notre Dame ... or U.C.L.A. Really, no disrespect to other college programs -- again, it's tough -- but we think we can do better.
After all ... We Are SC! Now, more than ever, this should mean something to us.
So, rather than explain away these minor issues with our common sense and the reassurances of non-haters, perhaps it's time to ask our man Carroll -- however unfair it may be -- when will we stop having to deal with all this stuff in the first place?
Maybe it's time to tell him we're getting tired of this crap.
Fight On!
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My list
Criminal cases
- Hershel Dennis rape allegation (no charges, retraction from accuser)
- Eric Wright rape allegation (drugs found in his apartment, suspension from team and asked to leave school)
- Rey Maualuga assault charge (plead no contest, anger management courses)
- Mark Sanchez rape allegation (no charges, no evidence of rape)
- Jarrett rent (paid resititution for discounted rent, eligibility restored)
- Bush (allegations of gifts, still pending)
- McKnight (conference call with Bush, Carroll and Bush deny it ever happened
Wright, Maualuga, and Bush all have issues.
Wright was forced to leave under suspension. I believe he was a bad kid, and I'm glad he is gone.
Maualuga has been disciplined for his assault. His dad was on his death bed, he did something stupid while he was drunk. I hope he doesnt do anything stupid again, but I say give him another chance. If hes a bad egg he will screw up again.
Bush and/or his family took money and gifts, and USC didn't know about it. I'm angry with this situation with the Bush family. I think its possible that Reggie wasn't a part of this, but its unlikely that he didnt know about all the free gifts. I would think that USC probably wouldnt be held accountable for not knowing about what his family was doing, but I guess time will tell
Sanchez and Dennis were exonerated of the rape charges. The alleged victim in Dennis's case some time later recanted her accusation all together. The Sanchez accusation is full of holes, knowing some of the details leads me to believe that no rape occured here.
I am getting tired of this crap. After the Sanchez story broke, I have to admit I was extremely upset. But it seems like the small things coupled with the larger problems make for good headlines nationally and on blogs for our rivals. Overall I'm not worried about it, but I wish we could have a couple of seasons with no heat from the NCAA or LAPD.
by frak on Feb 13, 2007 3:38 PM PST 0 recs
Not drinking the Kool-Aid
- I want to know what is proven, not alleged.
- I want testimony - in a court, under oath - not rumor and speculation.
- I have no reason to believe that Pete Carroll and the USC staff do not handle these situations as they come up.
- If a wrong is committed, I don't see the need to publicly flog transgressors for the prurient interests of sanctimonious media-types or USC haters.
- It's unrealistic to set expectations for these guys that are exponentially higher than what can be expected of any young person who is off at college, maybe away from home for the first time in his/her life. Students using fake ids to get alcohol? No! Where??? Two teammates argue and one of them throws a punch at the other? Say it ain't so!
- Actions have consequences. Illegal actions have serious consequences. If someone is charged and found guilty of a crime, then they should be punished accordingly. Until that happens (repeatedly), I'm not joining the "USC is the new Miami" club.
by Defender90 on Feb 13, 2007 5:38 PM PST 0 recs
It's a fair request
by DC Trojan on Feb 13, 2007 8:16 PM PST 0 recs
An outsider weighs in ...
That being said, I also do believe the SC program is clean. But some of the players aren't. And those dirty players (cough-Bush-cough) can stink up a program really bad, and bring with them even closer examination.
But, that's the price. Hunter S. Thompson provides the best quote for your situation: "Buy the Ticket, take the Ride."
So, while it may seem tiresome, and while you may roll your eyes at what seems like people inventing things for which to be critical of your beloved school, just remember it really is (whether justified or not) the price you pay. Especially when you have something like the whole Bush thing going on.
Will the coaching staff now be ultra-dilligent in terms of the players? Yeah, probably. But there are over 100 kids on the team, and you can't watch them 24-7. You just got to hope they don't do anything stupid.
As far as the school, I really and honestly do hope it is clean, because unlike the lesser species of bear, schadenfreude doesn't get me off.
But hey, those championships and Heisman's bring more than you think, huh?
Thanks for the indulgence.
Go Bears.
by SoCal Oski on Feb 14, 2007 8:40 AM PST 0 recs
I tend to agree
On the other hand, Mike Garrett is still the AD, so you can't assume too much about sensible actions.
by DC Trojan on
Feb 14, 2007 2:19 PM PST
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Ah, the sensibilities of Mike Garrett ...
by Displaced Trojan on
Feb 14, 2007 3:08 PM PST
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I have this vision...
by DC Trojan on
Feb 14, 2007 6:20 PM PST
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I guess that's part of the point ...
As I mentioned in the post, there are no highly sucessful programs in football or basketball history that have escaped unscathed. Even the great John Wooden has Sam Gilbert in his shadows.
But, if Pete Carroll thinks he can do it better than it's ever been done, then he should learn from his mistakes (which he has a history of doing) and elminate, or at least lessen, these issues. That's all I'm saying.
Throughout the 90s, "experts" like Pat Haden said it was impossible for storied programs like USC to dominate college football again, given scholarship restrictions, modern NCAA rules, etc. Carroll proved that to be false. Here's hoping he can achieve the other half of the impossible equation, as well.
by Displaced Trojan on Feb 14, 2007 10:12 AM PST 0 recs
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