Peter Caroll's Right Hand

by Nestor on Nov 10, 2005 5:38 AM PST in Football

So who is the most important coach in the USC football staff? Is it Peter Carroll's OC? His QB guru? His LB coach? Of course not. The most important "coach" in the USC staff is their team lawyer Carmen Trutanich (they call him "Nuch"!), who is always there to bail out those alleged thugs and rapists from trouble:

A few days after USC linebacker Rey Maualuga was arrested on suspicion of punching a man at a party last week, a familiar name appeared in the news.

Carmen Trutanich.

In the last year or so, the Southern California attorney has represented four Trojan football players -- tailback Hershel Dennis, former cornerback Eric Wright, former defensive lineman Manuel Wright and now Maualuga.

The stout, personable USC alumnus has worked as a prosecutor for the district attorney's office and, last summer, was hired by the city attorney to represent the Coliseum Commission in its dealings with the NFL.

As an attorney in private practice, Trutanich has no official connection to USC football, but team officials have referred players to him often enough that, last spring, the NCAA and Pacific 10 Conference investigated.

The 54-year-old man known as "Nuch," while declining to comment with Maualuga's case pending, has spoken previously of his work with USC athletes and, he says, some who played for other colleges.

"I hope no one else gets in trouble," he told The Times in April. "But I hope that anybody who gets in trouble calls me.... The bottom line is that I think I've done a great job representing student-athletes."

Asked about Trutanich, Coach Pete Carroll said: "He's part of the [USC] community. Somebody has to represent these guys."

lol lol lol lol Yeah somebody has to represent these poor poor USC football players who are always so unfairly getting caught up in scenarios involving alleged rape, assaults, and beating up of other students on campus. Thank God they have a team lawyer on the call 24/7!Oh by the way, speaking of their latest culprit Ray Maulaga, who was allegedly beating up other students on Halloween night, he ended up not being suspended for the Stanford game. Like I said Peter Carroll has no balls. Sooner or later this will all catch up to him. I still wonder how parents in their right mind let their kids play and grow up under this used car salesman of a head coach. He sure knows how to raise men.

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Maualuga

Well, he held him out the first half of the game...how is that for strict punishment? But then again, I guess he is just training these kids for the NFL, where they can get away with beating up people, driving drunk, and sex boats. Sure, they are all morally corrupt, but at least they get big paychecks! Sounds like the USC philosophy to me...

by uclawarren on Nov 10, 2005 7:19 AM PST 0 recs

Malauga

I, too, was surprised that he played in the game.

But then it came out that his father is literally near death--he has a tumor in his chest that is stopping blood to the brain--and I think the reason he hasn't been suspended yet is because his father's dream was to see his son play at USC.

I don't think that's just a convenient excuse, but I think it explains why PC has decided to take the heat for this and let the kid keep playing. As messed up as what the kid allegedly did was, I think they are doing this for the father who probably doesn't have long to live.

by Heismanpundit on Nov 10, 2005 12:10 PM PST 0 recs

What about the 9 games before Stanford?

Didn't Mr. Mauluga get an opportunity to see his boy play before?

For USC to even be associated with Trutanich is an indictment of the current state of that corrupt football program.

by Ajax on Nov 10, 2005 12:43 PM PST 0 recs

That all may be true

I'm just saying that in this particular instance, I don't think it's a bad thing that a man who is near death can get to see his son play a little more (he hasn't really played a whole lot this season).

by Heismanpundit on Nov 10, 2005 2:33 PM PST 0 recs