The sanctions against the University of Southern California are pretty brutal.  A two year ban from playing in bowl games.  The forfeit of wins from the 2005 season, including the National Championship against Oklahoma.  Plus the loss of 30 scholarships for three years.  Pretty harsh when you consider the accusations/findings the NCAA found had to do with a player (Reggie Bush above) and head coach (Pete Carroll above) who are both no longer around the school. 

To break it down as simply as I can, the NCAA says Reggie Bush during the 2004-05 season had received gifts from people during his stay at USC.  His family received a house in San Diego.  Reggie was driving a new car.  Money was alleged to have been exchanged as well.  To put it simply, Reggie had accepted these offerings.  A big no-no says the NCAA. 

Now because of these sanctions, the University football team will suffer for the next 3 years at least.  They will eventually bounce back, but the damage is done.  It’s official that the University is synonymous with recruiting players who could care less about academics.  The school also appears guilty of not caring and instead raking in the money the football program brings to them.  Just look at the basketball program and what the recruitment of O.J. Mayo brought upon them. 

The question then becomes how can you punish the school for what someone did five years ago?  There is no easy answer.  Yes, Reggie Bush should have said no.  Knowing that this would have been discovered eventually.  Nothing like that is ever kept secret for long in this day in age. 

“Obviously, with the current penalty, it sucks because the kids there now have to deal with that and you never want to be in the position where you’ve affected a kid’s career or the future of a high school player who has a dream to go to USC.” – Reggie Bush

Yes it does suck.  He gets to keep playing football while the school and its current players have to suffer the wrath of the NCAA.  I have a feeling that Reggie will no longer be a welcome figure around the university for quite some time.  USC alumni have only one person to put most of the blame on and that’s Bush.  What else can he say though?  Gee, I should have known better and said no, but what’s done is done.  I have to focus on defending our Super Bowl title in New Orleans.  That’s what he really thinks. 

Pete Carroll’s position I think is more important.  He deserves just as much the blame as Bush and the entire athletic department at USC.  I tweeted and discussed it on the radio six months ago when Carroll accepted the head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks.  He’s leaving USC with a clean slate before the NCAA hands down punishment. 

Of course he will deny it left and right, but it’s hard to believe him.  You built a powerhouse football program in a city where they have no NFL team.  Then you leave for the head coaching job in Seattle?  Hardly the dream job we thought you would go after when you decided to go.

“I thought I would never leave USC, but this is just too good an opportunity to pass up” – Pete Carroll

The opportunity to coach the third best team in the worst division in the NFL.  I liked Carroll for the longest time.  He was never given a real chance in the NFL.  One year coaching the Jets, then three years as the head coach of the New England Patriots.  Soon after Bill Belichik turned the Patriots into a dynasty.  He landed in USC bringing excitement and title contending teams to Los Angeles. 

There was no need for a NFL team when you had one at USC.  But looking back at it now, it was all a rouse.  Carroll was truly looking for a better opportunity, but knew he had it made in LA.  When the NCAA started to creep closer and closer to revealing their findings, the time was right to bolt.  He would’ve been looked at differently had he left a year or two ago.  Everyone knew he wanted to go back to the NFL.  It just looks like he bailed when he didn’t want to deal with the consequences of his and Reggie Bush’s actions. 

He’s the head coach.  When you’re player is driving a new car and his family are attending road games without your help, something must be wrong.  Take action next time if you get the “opportunity” to coach in college. 

The entire athletic department should be replaced.  They brought this upon themselves.  They knew something was wrong and are now letting it effect student athletes that had nothing to do with it.  Bush and Carroll are gone and can’t be punished.  Bush could lose his Heisman, but that doesn’t mean anything to anyone else.  The athletic department are the only ones who need to be punished, with their jobs. 

This by no means will be the last major program to be hit with these kind of sanctions, but it saddens me that none of them will ever learn from others mistakes.