First we get this article.
Quote:
Lane Kiffin feels for Bill O'Brien
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- USC coach Lane Kiffin said there is no way to compare the recent scandals at USC and Penn State and the corresponding sanctions the schools received from the NCAA, but he does sympathize with Nittany Lions coach Bill O'Brien for what he is about to face.
O'Brien, a first-year college head coach, is entering into the same situation Kiffin had to work through during his first season with the Trojans in 2010. USC's juniors and seniors were eligible to transfer then without sitting out a year in what Kiffin termed free agency, and all of Penn State's players are now allowed to do the same.
"I do think the cases are similar in that regard," Kiffin told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Tuesday. "And I do feel for their coaching staff. You're dealing with a head coach who wasn't there and has nothing to do with it and players who weren't there, either."
"They're paying the price even though they had nothing to do with it, which is obviously similar to what we went through."
Penn State was sanctioned on Monday by the NCAA in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal with a $60 million fine, four-year postseason ban and a loss of 80 scholarships over four years, as well as the vacating of wins since 1998 and several other punishments. NCAA president Mark Emmert said the investigation into the university's cover-up of Sandusky's history of sexual abuse revealed "perverse and unconscionable results."
In June 2010, USC received a two-year postseason ban and a loss of 30 scholarships for violations stemming from the Reggie Bush era, among other consequences, with the NCAA ruling the school demonstrated a lack of institutional control over its athletic programs. After a four-year investigation, the NCAA found that Bush received improper benefits while a student-athlete at USC and determined that the Trojans' staff should have been aware of it.
USC is now eligible to play in a bowl game for the first time in Kiffin's tenure and is expected to contend for the national championship. But the Trojans are still being limited by the scholarship punishment and only signed 12 players on National Signing Day in February.
"We can't speak to how these sanctions are going to impact the Penn State program," USC athletic director Pat Haden said in a statement released Monday. "At USC, we found that the most difficult part of our NCAA sanctions has been the reduction of scholarships."
Kiffin said the Penn State situation has made him and his staff more aware of other issues facing modern college football programs. For example, he said, all of the counselors and staff members at each of the Trojans' summer football camps are put through background checks before they're allowed to work with campers.
"We've been doing that for a couple years now, but Penn State brings it back to light and puts some attention on it," Kiffin told ESPNLosAngeles.com.
The Very Next article on ESPN site
Quote:
Source: USC interested in Silas Redd
By Joe Schad | ESPN
Source: Penn State RB Silas Redd Could Transfer To USC
The NCAA hit Penn State with a $60 million sanction, a four-year football postseason ban and forced the program to vacate all wins dating to 1998. Penn State players are free to transfer without having to sit out. Redd is being told by coaches at various programs that he can play right away. Interested schools, however, must notify Penn State first per NCAA rules.
Redd has met with Penn State coach Bill O'Brien, who sources say has stressed to players that they can still play games and still appear on television.
Some players have concerns about if their teammates will leave and the Nittany Lions' ability to continue to field a winning team, one source said.
Redd, a 5-foot-10, 209-pound junior, ran for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
USC coach Lane Kiffin would not comment on Redd specifically Tuesday during the Pac-12's media day. But Kiffin acknowledged that the Trojans could use help in the backfield.
"Our No. 1 concern is our running back depth," Kiffin said. "We really have to do a good job there developing depth."
Kiffin said he and his staff would need to analyze what any additions would mean to the program, both this season and going forward.
"Yeah, you gotta look at the whole picture and figure the whole thing out," Kiffin told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Tuesday. "We're obviously in a different situation because of limited scholarships.
"We're not gonna give out any details on it, but, yeah, we've looked at everything."
At that point, Kiffin was operating on the belief that the NCAA would allow USC to go over the 75-man scholarship restriction to sign a transfer from Penn State. But, hours later, it was announced that that the Trojans would in fact not be allowed to exceed the limit because of their continuing probation.
Other schools around the country can go over their 85-man limit, but USC cannot. Therefore, in order to actually sign Redd, the Trojans would have to have one of their current players or signees become academically ineligible for the 2012 season, or take a current player from the roster off of a scholarship.
Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley told ESPNLosAngeles.com that he trusts Kiffin and the coaching staff to make the right decision as it applies to the team's chemistry.
The Trojans' captain for a third consecutive season, Barkley also said he would be willing to welcome new teammates.
"I guess it all depends on how well they adapt to USC, but I'm sure our coaching staff is concerned with all that stuff," Barkley told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "They know what the right fit our team would be."
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