More On U$C*'s Sacrificial Lamb

Bumping this post from June. Just in case anyone was living in a cave last few years before reading today's "news", here is another refresher. GO BRUINS. -N

bruinbabe2000 already fanshotted Michael Rosenberg's column on FoxSpots.com which gets to the heart of the ongong freakshow across town. It is so spot on that it's worth highlighting in a stand alone post on our home page. Rosenberg points right at Mike Garrett, Pete Carroll and U$C* football (emphasis added throughout):

The Trojans' football and basketball programs are under siege. Both programs have been accused of major violations. USC has shown pretty clearly that it has no interest in, you know, actually finding out what happened. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that USC has done comically little to investigate the allegations.

But even USC athletic director Mike Garrett knows he can't escape major accusations in the two biggest sports. Somebody had to pay here. And asking USC to choose between football and basketball is like asking Saudi Arabia to choose between its oil and its racehorses. One is a fun diversion; the other one pays all the bills.

Rosenberg then speculates in terms of what led to Floyd's not so shocking departure from U$C*:

Garrett wanted Floyd gone, and Floyd knew it. So Garrett and USC pulled one of the top recruits in the country away from him.

Does anybody think USC would have done the same to Pete Carroll? Make no mistake: Tim Floyd made his own professional deathbed. If Floyd was truly innocent, of course he would speak up for himself. He wouldn't just resign.

Instead, Floyd leaves because USC had to sacrifice somebody. More than three years have passed since Yahoo Sports reported that an agent paid Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush well into six figures while Bush played for the Trojans. That case is still pending. It has become quite obvious that USC would like that case to pend for another few centuries.

USC can try a divide-and-survive strategy with the NCAA:

1. Admit that the basketball program has been naughty.

2. Say the school is offended and will punish itself thoroughly for those transgressions.

3. Say, "hey, we're obviously tough on crime around here — look at what we did to our basketball program. But we discovered our football program is clean. Jeez Louise, what a relief!"

Tim Floyd dove into hot water. He deserved what he got. But as you list his sins, please include this one: He didn't coach football.

Take in rest of the must read column here.

GO BRUINS.