New USC AD Pat Haden Could Be Trouble For Lane Kiffin

Today, the USC Trojans did some house cleaning and, in the process, sent a message to the NCAA and the college football world that "Playtime Is Over" in Southern California.

Athletic Director Mike Garrett was fired,  replaced by the clean-cut, wholesome, image of Pat Haden—a former Trojan and member of the USC board of trustees. He has since resigned from the latter.


He is a well-respected figure in the community and, at USC, few will find any reason to disagree with the choice—especially given the recent turmoil the program has suffered with Garrett at the wheel.

Also gone is any material memory of Reggie Bush. His No. 5 jersey along with the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 have both been removed from Heritage Hall. Said president-elect Max Nikias, "The Trojan Family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons whose actions did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes,". 

USC is certainly following the guidelines set forth by the NCAA which advised them to disassociate themselves from Bush in the wake of the scandal. However, it does make you wonder, will they return all the revenue they reaped as a result of his jersey sales? Will they return the money that was likely generated from the boosters and alumni who gladly opened their checkbooks thanks to his greatness on the field?

Don't get me wrong, Reggie Bush was a punk for what he did and he deserves to be stripped of the Heisman, but lets not be naive to how much money USC made off his success either—just saying.

But, I digress.

It's all business now at USC and that means there will be a lot less hand-wringing and side-chatter surrounding the program and it's dealings where the athletes and coaches are concerned. Which naturally leads us to new head coach, Lane Kiffin.

I seriously doubt that his "dream job" entailed him having a semi-permanent set of eyes looking over his shoulder. However, that may very well be the case now that J.K. McKay will be appointed the associate athletic director of football.

McKay's primary job will be to act as the liaison between new AD, Pat Haden, and the football program. In other words, Kiffin's freedom just got a whole lot more restrained.

It's no secret that McKay and Haden have a close relationship and that leaves little doubt as to where McKay's loyalty will be.  He will surely scrutinize Kiffin's every move and that could make Kiffin's time on the sidelines a lot less enjoyable.

It doesn't help that Kiffin has already come under fire for his, somewhat, questionable recruiting tactics at USC already.

The first red flag came after he accepted the job. One of his assistants, with Kiffin's blessing, was rumored to have called some of Tennessee's (Kiffin's former employer) best prospects in an effort to get them to switch their commitment to USC instead.

Then came the Seantrel Henderson debacle.

Kiffin was, allegedly, dishonest with Henderson about the severity of the upcoming sanctions. Henderson never did sign with the Trojans due in large part to deception.

Add to that, the recent transfer of a number of junior and senior players to other Division I schools, and Kiffin has already been through the wringer without having called a snap.

If more of these shenanigans continue, I foresee swift and definitive action by Haden to cut Kiffin loose.  After all, USC can undoubtedly find a more experienced, less media-obsessed coach for $4 million.

Either way, I set the over/under on Kiffin's departure at 2-years because his dream just turned into a nightmare.

USC RB Dillon Baxter Should Not Escape Punishment For His Statements

Dillon Baxter (pictured far left), the highly-touted running back out of San Diego, has remained free of any of the negativity surrounding the circus that he is partly responsible for starting.

Just shy of a month ago, the five-star product who was heavily courted by the likes of Florida, Michigan, UCLA, and Oregon stated that he was contacted illegally by some heavy-hitters in the BCS. Those heavy-hitters turned out to, allegedly, be Florida, Fresno State, Alabama, Washington, and Oregon.

The accusation set off a frenzy as many called into question why those schools would have acted so carelessly in going after a kid who was already signed elsewhere. After all, the sanctions that hit USC weren't going to effect their incoming talent, just the juniors and seniors on their roster—by all accounts—Baxter was untouchable.

Of course, the accusations were followed by denials across the board by most every one of the accused schools—all firmly stating that Baxter had not been contacted by anyone inside their program. 

That said, it was already difficult to believe that Nick Saban, Chip Kelly, or Urban Meyer would  blatantly dismiss such a clear violation of the NCAA regulations.

It seemed fishy to me at the time.

True to form, the plot thickened a day or two later when Baxter told ESPN reporter, Joe Schad, that he  lost his cell phone and could not produce any visual proof of contact.

Really? You have a chance to embarrass several big name schools, stick it to a couple of your current school's rivals, and make your head coach look like a choir boy—for a change—and you conveniently lose the one piece of evidence that would have done it?...Okay...sure, I'll buy that.

Not! If I'm Lane Kiffin or Mike Garrett, Baxter's story ends right then and there because there is little hope of a positive ending for USC.

Even still, AD Mike Garrett, took Baxter at his word and wagged a disapproving finger at the five schools that, allegedly, made contact.

Fast forward to the here and now and, again, the Trojans look like the back side of a horse's patoot—sending apologies to those same schools for making false accusations. The immediate consequence has been more calls for AD Mike Garrett to step down or be fired. He was already in hot water after the sanctions but this latest guffaw makes him look incompetent.

Clearly, he should have done more homework before lofting grenades at other programs. He never seemed to even consider the possibility that Baxter was lying. After all, Baxter never met a microphone or a camera he didn't like. He's a flashy young man and could very well have just been doing a bit of posturing for the cameras—unaware of the power of his words at this level.

In any case, Garrett should have known better and the calls for his head are valid.

However, what becomes of Dillon Baxter? Clearly, there needs to be further investigation into his actions as well. Was he outright lying at the time of his statements or was there actually contact? At least one publication, GatorCountry.com, is stating that Baxter was the one who made contact with Florida—not the other way around. If that's true, doesn't that mean that Baxter is in for a little wrist-slapping from the NCAA as well?

Dez Bryant was suspended last season for lying to the NCAA about his relationship with former NFL pro, Deion Sanders—that lie cost him, essentially, his entire year.

Granted, Baxter's actions are different but, a lie is a lie, right?

NCAA Bylaw 10.1 addresses "unethical conduct" and specifically regards ""Knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual's institution false or misleading information concerning the individual's involvement in or knowledge of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation." as "unethical". Such an infraction warrants a suspension of said player by the NCAA.

With that in mind, will we see the spotlight turn towards Baxter's statements next?

Somehow, it just doesn't seem like this is the end of the story and that means more scrutiny for the Trojans.