Very interesting report in the LA Times today (emphasis added):
A Pacific 10 Conference head coach has been found in violation of NCAA rules for retaining a paid consultant to attend practices and watch games — circumstances identical to those surrounding former USC football coach Pete Carroll's hiring of an NFL veteran to help with the Trojans' punting and kicking teams — according to an internal Pac-10 report.
The document does not name the coach or the sport, but the Pac-10 sent it to the conference's schools after The Times reported last summer that Carroll had quietly employed Pete Rodriguez to monitor practices and games throughout the 2008 season, in apparent violation of NCAA limits on the number of coaches each team may hire.
A USC spokesman would not confirm or deny that the Pac-10 report referred to the Carroll-Rodriguez relationship.
"We're choosing not to discuss the issue," said James Grant, an assistant vice president of the school.
What is even more interesting that this story didn't show up in it's "sports" section. It was buried in the "LA Extra" section. Thankfully number of our readers emailed about it this am.
Anyway, the Pete Rodriguez story shouldn't be newsflash to regular BN readers. We blogged about it last July, specifically pointing out how this kind of "consultant" position gave Southern Cal an unfair advantage over other programs. Going back to today's report here is the funniest part which is the outcome of the report on this specific violation:
As a penalty, the report says, the head coach was issued a letter of admonishment and a rules review session was held.
A person familiar with Pac-10 enforcement procedures, who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak publicly, said letters of admonishment are typically issued by the school and the rule violations are referred to the NCAA.
The names of schools and personnel are routinely omitted from the periodic reports because the documents are designed to be a "teaching tool" for athletic departments, not a punitive instrument, said the person who is knowledgeable about Pac-10 operations.
Yeah. That will teach them. ROFL.
Of course this specific allegation was just part of a supposed large inquiry into Southern Cal's renegade program the NCAA has been conducting for years. There are still no word or no tangible signs of exactly what the NCAA is going to do. I'd suggest not holding out any kind of hope. I am sure the NCAA will be issuing sternly worded documents "warning" and "teaching" the "most scandalous athletic program of this era" on how to follow their "rules."
At this point if Southern Cal gets away with what has gone on in recent years, fans of Oklahoma, Alabama or any other programs who have been punished by the NCAA in recent years, instead of getting upset with the NCAA, I'd probably demand their respective ADs to thumb their noses at NCAA's "enforcement" body from here on out.
Why should those programs (along with ours) care about playing within rules if it becomes clear NCAA is perfectly content looking impotent and hapless in confronting what has been transpiring in Mike Garrett's scandal tainted program(s) for years?
GO BRUINS.