As expected, nothing of substance came out of the first day of USC’s appearance before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
However, the central figure in the case, who was thousands of miles away getting his amateur athletics groove on at the time, did speak on the record to a Los Angeles Times reporter. And pretty much said nothing.
As he was in Vancouver attending the Winter Olympic games, former Trojan running back Reggie Bush told the Times that he’d really like to speak out, but doggone it those pesky lawyers and such preclude him from doing so. In lieu of addressing any of the issues, Bush did say that he would defend good ol’ ‘SC until the day he dies.
So they have that going for them. Which is good.
“There are attorneys, there are lawsuits, there are all those things that keep you from being able to talk,” Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, said during a promotional stop at a sponsor’s office in Vancouver, adding, “I’ve tried to do everything I can, on my part, to help USC out.”
“I can’t really speak on that because of pending things, but I’ve done everything I can and I will defend ‘SC until the day I die. . . . That’s just because I felt USC was so good to me. . . . I am USC and I represent USC.”
(Must… bite… tongue…)
Former head coach Pete Carroll and running backs coach Todd McNair were grilled yesterday by the committee regarding what they knew of the alleged illegal benefits given to Bush and his family.
There was no word as to the substance of the answers provided by Carroll and McNair. Carroll was expected to fly out of Thursday night, while McNair Will Likely be back on the hot seat for a second day in a row.
