Pete Carroll gave his reaction to the NCAA sanctions levied against the USC football program today in a video uploaded to his personal Youtube.com account. The video and a transcription of all of this comments are below.
“I’m absolutely shocked and disappointed at the findings of the NCAA. I never, ever thought it would come to this. After nine years of working at the university and going through all of the challenges, the accomplishments that all of the people took part in, I’m extremely disappointed that we have to deal with this right now.
“After going through the process, from the depositions and the interviews, for years and years, and also participating in the hearing for the NCAA, I never thought there was any facts that supported these significant sanctions that have come forth.
“The primary issue throughout the process was ‘did the university know’? The university didn’t know, we didn’t know. We were not aware of any of these findings. I think it’s important for you to know that through all aspects of the program we were vigilant in the way we approached every aspect. We were always out there to do things better than they’ve ever been done before.
“The agenda of the NCAA infractions committee took them beyond the facts, and the facts don’t match the sanctions. I absolutely support the appeal by the university and will do everything I can to contribute to their efforts.“This is a clear cut case of external elements outside of the university setting entering in and disrupting the process of the young student-athletes going to college, for their gain.
“It’s time for the NCAA and universities to come together to elevate the awareness and the understanding of the vulnerability of college athletes and their families. We need to be proactive and work in every way to protect this college experience for our kids.
“I feel terrible for the Trojan family that we have to go through this. But as always, we’ll be strong. And we’ll keep our heads up and we’ll keep fighting on. I’ll continue to support and cooperate, again, with the appeal process and do everything I can to help.
“Fight on.”
It is apparently lost on Carroll just how …
The primary issue throughout the process was ‘did the university know’? The university didn’t know, we didn’t know. We were not aware of any of these findings. I think it’s important for you to know that through all aspects of the program we were vigilant in the way we approached every aspect. We were always out there to do things better than they’ve ever been done before.
… contradictory that statement is.
They didn’t know anything, but they were vigilant?
Then there’s this today on Page 30 of the USC NCAA Public Infractions Report:
There was information in the record that the former head football coach encouraged sports marketer A to hire student-athletes as interns. A current NFLPA certified agent (”sports agent B”) is the chairman of a sports agency and a colleague of sports marketer A. He reported that the former head football coach asked sports marketer A to consider hiring football student-athletes as interns in his agency.
Carroll is the “former head football coach” and “sports marketer A” is former Reggie Bush marketing agent Mike Ornstein, as confirmed today by Yahoo’s Doug Farrar.
Yahoo Sports previously confirmed that Bush first met Ornstein by interning for him.
Charles Robinson and Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports also noted of Ornstein in 2007:
The benefits, which could lead to NCAA sanctions for USC and retroactively cost Bush his college eligibility and Heisman, were supplied by two groups attempting to woo Bush as a client. Current Bush marketing agent Mike Ornstein and one of Ornstein’s employees were involved. So were Michael Michaels and Lloyd Lake, who attempted to launch an agency called New Era Sports & Entertainment, pursuing Bush as their first client.
… documents and on-the-record interviews with sources close to the situation reveal that Bush and his family appear to have received financial benefits from Ornstein and a business associate.
Rather prophetic, eh?
Now back this comment from Carroll today in the video:
This is a clear cut case of external elements outside of the university setting entering in and disrupting the process of the young student-athletes going to college, for their gain.
Speechless? Me too.
5:51 pm on June 10th, 2010
You got to be kidding me PETE, you ran from that school as if it were on FIRE. I feel bad for all the young men who are getting screwed! And by the way USC Sucks!
5:59 pm on June 10th, 2010
No, it doesn’t contradict.
Being vigilant means warning students of the consequences of violating NCAA rules. They did that. Being vigilant means keeping an eye out during practices and games, where the students are under coaches’ eyes.
It is possible to be vigilant and still not know that students, off campus, or students’ families, living hundreds of miles away, were violating those rules despite the university’s attempts to educate them.
Students are not under coaches’ and teachers’ eyes 24/7. Schools are not prisons, nor are they nurseries. Nor are they parents - and there are millions of vigilant parents who still ended up with children pregnant, on drugs or dead.
There is no contradiction, except in the minds of sports bloggers who are sorry Tiger is so quiet lately and need to fill their webpages with something.
6:05 pm on June 10th, 2010
Sure , just because Reggie Bush came from a low income family and drove to practice in a brand new Hummer every day they must have just figured he stole it right ? cardinalgoldgrl is obviously a USC fan or a defense attorney .
And yes USC does suck .
6:05 pm on June 10th, 2010
GravatarCardinalGoldGrl, please read the NCAA report and then get back to us.
6:25 pm on June 10th, 2010
Pete doesn’t understand the rules - it doesn’t matter if they “knew.” It only matters if they “had reason to know.” They definitely “had reason to know.”
6:50 pm on June 10th, 2010
If Pete is indeed lying (which he probably is), what does he stand to gain by coming out with this statement? The NCAA doesn’t hand down sanctions like this on a whim.
6:59 pm on June 10th, 2010
Hey jackass….err, hungarian….Bush drove a ‘96 Impala during his USC days.
7:12 pm on June 10th, 2010
@RFS - He needs to continue to raise funds for A Better LA, hence the statement.
8:50 pm on June 10th, 2010
In every instance it’s the same sh*t
Deny Deny Deny
10:29 pm on June 10th, 2010
Now you see why some coaches run for office following their coaching career. They’ll lie, cheat, and steal for their ’cause’ and deny it all in the end. Even if they get investigated, it didn’t happen.
Pete the Cheat
4:49 am on June 11th, 2010
USC will bounce back just like Alabama did but it will be at least 5 years before we see them playing at the level that have been recently, maybe longer with Kiffin in charge. Kiffin is the last person you want coaching/leading your team through these tough times. He has never faced adversity and definitely doesnt know how to run a clean program. Cant wait to see how this plays out over the next few years, good luck trojans.
6:15 am on June 11th, 2010
I was expecting him to say:
“Hey, I feel really bad for USC, the NCAA is wrong, blah blah blah. BTW, I’ll be in the NFL if you need me.”
11:59 am on June 11th, 2010
From a guy who played college ball in Texas…..they know.
12:55 pm on June 11th, 2010
The NFL should investigate the key people involved: Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush. With the recent revelation that Suge Knight may be remotely connected to this story, the NFL should be concerned about Organized Crime, Gambling, etc. IMHO both of these characters are Douchebags
1:28 pm on June 11th, 2010
Mike Ornstein is a snake! He was sentenced in the 1990’s to house arrest for kickbacks taken with NFL properties. He is known around LA circles and elsewhere that he can get Superbowl tickets for a price. He has been scalping Superbowl tickets since his first job cleaning the bathrooms for Al Davis and the Raiders. He is “in” with sports & Hollywood celebrities. Isaiah Thomas was the best man at his wedding. He is wealthy and an important cog for Pro players and coaches who want to “theirs” via jobs, endorsements, book deals etc. The amount of undeclared money he has would make it a field day for the IRS. Mike Ornstein representatives everything wrong with pro sports.
1:33 pm on June 11th, 2010
Well, O.K.
So, let me get this straight. SC will not be competing for a “Bowl” appearance for the next two years. My guess is that they will still be showing up and competing during that time, I mean, they do have games scheduled, right?
Wouldn’t it be perfect if they held together, appeared on TV (each week), won and finished first h of the next two years. That would be acting like a winner.
All the talk about who is leaving and who is staying and the sanctions sounds like these athletes have just died.
This is LOS ANGELES for goodness sake.
There is more media exposure for any athlete playing here than any venue in the world. A young man with ambitions toward the NFL would be stupid to abandon the opportunity and visability a USC player will get. How many of us remember who starred in a bowl game last year? It’s the body of work that the future rewards………Everyone needs to take a deep breath and look for ways to overcome this, stop crying and pointing fingers, yesterday is gone…………….
4:25 pm on June 11th, 2010
i just want USC to fail, not matter what. i’m a hater, and proud of it. you can take Notre Dame and all the other nose-in-the-air schools with you. they are all degenerates.
11:26 pm on June 11th, 2010
What is Carroll or any other coach supposed to do? Hire private eyes to check up on the FAMILIES of the stars? If he did and got caught there would be lawsuits for invasion of privacy. Those ragging on Carroll are just bitter losers - he makes tens of millions and you’re collecting shopping carts in Wal-mart and Albertsons parking lots.