Southern Cal. Trojans Football Fanatics

Hey Trojan Fans:

We've neglected ourselves for far too long.  As of this posting, we have a paltry 75 fans, and that is a poor showing of the true, Trojan, Fight On Spirit!

Please, post to all of your favorite social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.), and bring people to our group.  We have the #2 ranked, which is where you want to be (statistically) when you play the NC game, team in the nation, going into 2012.  A National Championship is in the offing, and if Lane Kiffen, his assistants, and our players all coalesce, we can raise that BCS Championshiop Trophy into the air once again, and rebuff all the naysayers who have tried to hold us down with unfathomable restrictions.

If each of us recruits only ten additional followers, we will have 825 members.  If we can work with them on another burst, we can build to over 9,000.

Let's make this page mean something special this year.  Feel free to post comments about what you see, hear, and expect of our Trojan Football team in 2012-13.  Take part, take ownership, and contribute.

If you need a link to include for posting, let me know.  You should be able to find it on our page already.  I'd really like for us to grow larger than any other fan page on CBSSports.com, but I cannot do it a lone.  Many of you are hear based on my invitation, and I need for you to spread the word.

Go Trojans, Fight On! 

Category: NCAAF

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Category: Fantasy College Football

Rob a bank, get caught, and we will put your brother in jail.  Sound fair?

Well, that is akin to the current NCAA enforcement system.  Here's why:

Without regard to the efficacy of any of the charges against Bush, et al, let's just look at who may be involved, and who gets punished.

We have Bush and his family, who supposedly received "extra benefits" while he was at USC.  No one has drawn any kind of line or provided any evidence to show that anyone at USC knew about this, nor has the NCAA shown definitively why anyone at USC should have known about this.

We have the three amigos cum wannabe marketers, who are the actual wrong-doers in all of this. We also have a competitive money-filled culture which fuels the desire to succeed by offering big paydays for those who can find a way to garner an advantage and circumvent the system.  Some get caught, but many do not.

When someone is caught, what happens to them?  

The NCAA only has the power to regulated collegiate organizations (universities) who join their organization and subscribe to their (arcane) rules.  This authority does not extend to any party outside the university system, and the NCAA can only penalize players who are currently enrolled in schools and participating, or wanting to participate, in collegiate athletics at a member institution.

Herein lies the rub.  The NCAA performs its investigations, but only has enforcement powers against its members.  All it can do to a student-athlete is to restrict his/her eligibility during that student-athlete's enrollment.

In this case, the "three amigos" are ultimately responsible for everything that happened here.  While we can lay blame at the feet of Bush's family, and perhaps even Reggie; without the offers of "assistance" provided by the marketers, which actions were against NCAA rules, none of this ever takes place.

Can we blame the university for this mess?  Not really, unless you want to penalize them for being successful.  

Why did this case not fly in civil court?  NO EVIDENCE!

If the versions of the story that have been articulated and corroborated are true, essentially this whole issue was one of a friend of the family making an offer to the family for a rent-free residence in San Diego.  

Reggie never lived in that house, as he resided on or near campus at the time.  He may never have known about the arrangement, and since he never agreed to anything attached to it, I don't see how you can prove that he either had knowledge of or accepted the terms supposedly therein.

His actions of signing with a different agent belie that fact.  If Reggie had indeed signed with the "three amigos," then he would have confirmed that the agreement to free rent was in exchange for his assurance to sign with them.  Since he did not sign with them, you do not have confirmation that such agreement ever really existed.  CASE CLOSED!

If a verbal agreement existed, good luck proving that in court.  If the family defrauded the "three amigos," they should sue the family for civil fraud.  

All real estate contracts in California that are to last more than one year must be in writing.  Where is that written contract stating, "zero rent in exchange for signing a marketing contract?"  

If Reggie is not a party to the rental agreement, and no marketing contract exists, a lack of evidence is apparent.

How did the NCAA make its ruling without any evidence to support the claims?

The NCAA was on a witch hunt.  They had a flimsy case that they could not close in five years.  They held their dog-and-pony-show of a hearing for two days, and then took much longer than normal to hand down their verdict and proposed punishment.  

The NCAA wanted to make an example out of USC, mainly due to jealousy over their success.  The punishment in no way fits the crime, even if USC had been guilty on all counts!

None of these activities alleged to have occurred are illegal.  If any laws had been broken, law enforcement agencies would have taken charge and solved this case years ago.

Civil torts may have been committed, but we are back to the issue of a lack of evidence, so nothing is moving in court.  The NCAA is not bound by procedural rules of evidence, so they can accept testimony that lacks foundation, as well as hearsay into the record.  Without any real appeals process, the universities are at the mercy of the NCAA investigators and their decisions.

 

This is a travesty of justice, and is totally unfair.

Back to my original point, the NCAA is not able to punish any of the offenders:

• The "three amigos" receive no punishment from the NCAA.  The lost some money, but that is their problem
• Bush's parents receive no punishment from the NCAA.  They have lost nothing.
• Reggie receives no punishment from the NCAA.  Losing the Heismann is not a big deal, really.
• Pete Carroll, and most of the coaching staff at the time are no longer there - No punishment

 

Who gets punished then?

• Bush's teammates, to the extent that they may suffer by no longer being classified as "National Champions" by the NCAA.
• Current players at USC who can't play in a bowl game for two years.
• Potential recruits who may choose to play at an inferior program due to the sanctions.
• Ten current players per year who will not get scholarships.
• The fans (You know, the people who make all of this possible financially).
• The Pac-10, who loses revenue from an extra bowl game each year. 
• The BCS, if USC would otherwise qualify for a bowl game, but cannot play due to sanctions
• The system, because schools will always be afraid of the communist NCAA czars.

Why can't we fix this?

The NCAA needs to work with the NFL to find a way to penalize rogue agents.  The problem with this is that the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) will never go for this.  Why?  The agents negotiate player salaries.  Agents representing top players cause salaries to increase, which increases the dues paid to the NFLPA.  

The NFL has no real incentive or desire to regulate agents.  This would be another conflict of interest, because agents represent players, and if the NFL regulated agents, the owners would then have power over player representatives.  For you computer geeks out there, this is a circular reference (ala MS Excel).

The universities could try to get players to sign contracts that would obligate a player who breaks the rules to compensate the school for any losses sustained due to said player breaking NCAA rules.  Of course, this won't work on a number of levels.  

First, a student-athlete receives no compensation, and without consideration, this contract would be invalid.  The scholarship doesn't count as consideration, because that is already part of the offer to the student-athlete.  One would have to receive consideration specifically tied to the contract, in order for the contract to be valid.  Since said consideration would constitute "extra benefits," the contract would no longer be for a "legal purpose," which is another of the four requirements of a valid contract (offer and acceptance, consideration, competent parties, and legal purpose).

Second, even if a student did sign this contract, it would be a rare case for a pro athlete to be able to provide full recompense for such injuries, if even they could be calculated.  Simply not being invited to a BCS bowl could cost a university and conference up to $20 million per year.  Not may pro contracts provide that kind of breathing room.

Since the NCAA can only penalize current student-athletes and member institutions, it is generally the institutions who bear the cost of these missteps, as well as future students, just by virtue of the time required to conduct these investigations.

 

Eliminate the problem

The best solution that I see is to modify existing NCAA rules to get rid of these arcane treatments of programs.  The NCAA acts more like a Gestapo organization than an overseer.

What many fail to remember is that the NCAA is actually owned and operated by its member universities.  It is a cooperative organization, set-up to provide self-regulation.  Since the members make the rules and own the organization, no reason exists for the organization to go rogue like this.

The member universities need to rein-in the power of the NCAA, and they need to put in place a more efficient system of investigating, punishing, and appealing infractions.

 

Until such time as the NCAA is reviewed, revamped, and updated, no university athletic program is safe.  It is only a matter of time until they come for you!

 

Go Trojans, Fight On!

Category: NCAAF

Early reports show that USC is getting creamed by the NCAA after the completion of its investigation. This really blows!

Losing post-season eligibility for two years, 20 scholarships over two years, and giving up wins from our NC seasons 2003-2004.

I think the NCAA people are Nazis! From everything that I have seen public about the supposed violations, it was the parents that benefited, and not Reggie.

Why is it that the people involved in this (Reggie and the agents) get away free, but the current coaches, players, and fans get screwed? It's not right!

Go Trojans, Fight On!

Category: NCAAF

There's an interesting chart on this new website that shows Southern Cal's popularity on the tube:
http://www.crimsonreplay.com/qb.php


Category: NCAAF