Pete Carroll does no wrong
The NCAA has some bizarre love affair with USC and appears to go out of its way to protect the program. Recently, the Pac 10 conference reported that an unnamed coach (Pete Carroll) was found in violation for having a paid consultant on staff during practices and games. The violation wasn’t necessarily the hiring of a consultant; rather, it had more to do with the number of coaches the team employed.
Though the Pac 10 did not release the coach’s name or the program, last year it was revealed that Pete Carroll hired consultant and NFL veteran Pete Rodriguez for the 2008 season as a mentor for the kicking and punting game. Rodriguez’ hiring exceeded the number of coaches USC was allowed to employ per NCAA rules.
The NCAA did not issue any real sanctions for this clear violation. Carroll received a letter of admonishment, a freshly printed copy of the NCAA rules, and was forced to attend a rules session. The NCAA deemed this entire incident as a “teaching tool.” Now this infraction is harmless by itself, but when you add this to USC’s troubled past (i.e., Reggie Bush and basketball player OJ Mayo), it makes you question why some programs are treated differently than others.
The true redeeming factor for the NCAA will be seen when it issues its final outcome regarding the investigation of USC’s recruiting practices and player relationships for both the football and basketball programs. If USC skates free, then you know something is clearly wrong with the system. As it stands, the NCAA is sending the message that schools should not report violations and should continue as is. After all, if you are a top program and a huge rainmaker, it financially hurts the NCAA to strip the program of TV rights and post-season play.
If the allegations are found to be true, the NCAA needs to send the message that you cannot get away with serious NCAA violations.
