You know those movies where the hero's troubled conscience forces him to confess his terrible secrets no matter the personal and professional costs? This isn't one of those movies:
Reggie Bush Buys His Own Silence And USC’s Fate Remains A Mystery
A source has told Yahoo! Sports that former University of Southern California running back Reggie Bush has reached a settlement in a civil case brought by Lloyd Lake, one of the financiers of failed marketing agency New Era Sports & Entertainment. The settlement comes just days before Bush was expected to give a court-ordered deposition in the suit, centering on $300,000 in unpaid rent, cash and other benefits allegedly provided to the Heisman Trophy winner and his family while he was at USC.
Now ain't nobody sayin' nothin' and the NCAA's case against USC must proceed without the threat of perjury charges that loosened lips at places like Michigan and Ohio State. You don't need the law to bring down the hammer on a school, but it sure doesn't hurt. USC can breathe slightly easier today. ↵
Emphasis on slightly, though. Maybe. Hopefully. The NCAA still has a lot to go on in their case against USC's athletic department from Rodney Guillory and Tim Floyd to the copious documents proving that Bush was getting so much money that not knowing took some doing. When the Trojans endured their three-day-long grilling in front of the infractions committee, bellhops ferried carts full of documents around whatever hotel was Nuremberg for a day. Whatever Bush was going to provide in his testimony would have been a bonus. ↵
We’re left with the same swirling melange of murky information and circumstantial evidence we had when USC faced down the committee two months ago. USC is going to get killed because: ↵
- The NCAA took the unusual step of rejecting USC’s request to self-impose punishments on the football team.
- The aforementioned infractions committee meeting featured unprecedented length and detail.
- The basketball program already took a bullet, which can only heighten the penalties since USC should be judged a repeat offender in some case or another.
- Pete Carroll suddenly bolted from the cushiest job in college football without getting the GM power he’d stipulated was a prerequisite of any potential NFL return.
- They hired Lane Kiffin, a guy who was a huge part of the program during the time frame in question, to replace Pete Carroll.
USC is going to get off easy because:
- They hired Lane Kiffin, which suggests they can’t be seriously concerned about the outcome of any investigation.
- USC’s recruiting hardly slowed even after Carroll’s departure. Even skeptical uber-recruit Seantrel Henderson only delayed signing; he put his name on a LOI a couple weeks after the infractions committee meeting without waiting for what the NCAA was going to announce.
- The NCAA does not have a smoking gun like they did in the basketball case.
- NC$$ lol.
Both sides have compelling arguments. At least now the answer won’t have to wait for (more) protracted legal wrangling. USC had 90 days to prepare a response, at which point the NCAA’s final ruling could come at any time. We should have closure, either way, by summer. Sharpen that axe; we’ll be cutting necks or cake soon.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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