REGGIE BUSH STIFF-ARMED!

Reggie Bush Stiff-armed! The 2005 Heisman winner reportedly to be stripped of the award. Our only question is "What took so long?"

As soon as the smoke began to rise around Bush and possible dealings with agents during his time at Southern California, didn't we all know there was a fire...and a big one?

Turns out we were right and it has since consumed the USC football program, resulting in major sanctions.

Bush cheated and got busted. Now he claims "I am USC and I represent USC." Really? If that were so, and everything wasn't just about you and what can benefit you, you would've never cheated in the first place...or kept that tainted Heisman all this time. USC returned their copy of Bush's Heisman Trophy and Bush should do the same. He should have already done it. He should have done it first. As for Pete Carroll, he's dirty too. Carroll continually created and embraced an atmosphere around USC that welcomed agent-types and glamour boys and showed not a care in the world...as long as the Trojans were winning. But Carroll ain't no fool, the minute the winning stopped and Carroll could see the writing on the wall, he bolted for Seattle leaving USC to burn. I have nothing more than my opinion but from where I sit Carroll was not only aware of, but actively complicit in the wrong doings that occurred at USC.

This begs the question, "How did all of this happen at the most successful college football program in the country without anyone knowing what was going on?" That's easy, no one wanted to know what was going on. ESPN, the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports, could have very easily uncovered the biggest college football story of the past decade if they had wanted to, but they did not because they didn't want to ruin their relationship with Carroll and the program. With dedicated reporters around the USC football program for years, it seems implausible to think that they had absolutely no idea about what was happening around the athletic department. I see ESPN as being either just as complicit as Carroll in what happened at USC because they did not do their duties as journalists (I know...doesn't even look right when typed) to uncover the story or they are utterly incompetent in their efforts to do so. On face value, I can believe either option.

I got a little fired up on my soap box right there, but let me get back to my original question concerning the statue, "What took so long?" As for the answer, I have no idea. All I know is Bush should absolutely be stripped of his Heisman Trophy and the school did the right thing by giving their copy back. Furthermore, USC should be forced to vacate every victory gained by USC that Bush participated in. It's simple. If Bush is guilty of accepting extra benefits he should be deemed ineligible, and if he played while ineligible, then USC should be forced to vacate any and all wins gained in games in which Bush played...national championship games and all.

This whole situation is awful and I feel dirty. I just hope everyone involved gets what they deserve in the end.

Conspiracy theories and Coach Mark Richt

Reports broke Friday afternoon that the Seattle Seahawks fired a “stunned” Jim Mora and have targeted Southern California’s Pete Carroll to replace him. Like a flash I spun up a great conspiracy theory about the whole thing and my mind quickly meandered to South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier and Georgia head man Mark Richt. Sorta weird I know, but stay with me here Reader.

As for Carroll, as soon as I heard the names of the principals involved I had an idea of what was happening. Later, when I heard NFL reporter Chris Mortensen confirm that Carroll was interested in Seattle as well and that USC was already making overtures to Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, I essentially closed this book in my mind as a done deal. Simply and quickly connecting the dots, I came to the conclusion that there is no way that the Seahawks would fire Mora after one season for “not winning enough” by producing a 5-11 record after Mike Holmgren went 4-11 just the year before. Not unless they had already traded up and had their replacement in hand in Carroll. The situation is primed for Carroll to leave USC with the NCAA sniffing all around the program and the exodus of assistant coaches in recent years, not to mention that it seems the Trojan underclassmen have seen the writing on the wall with Damian Williams and Joe McKnight announcing their intentions to enter the NFL draft on the same day the story breaks. The situation in Seattle currently offers Carroll the opportunity to have total control over football operations (in one form or another) just as he currently does at USC, something Carroll has long said would be a mandate if he were to ever consider returning to the NFL. Finally, later in the day when I heard Mortensen say he would be shocked if Carroll-to-Seattle does not happen, I was further convinced this is a done deal. Will it happen? I guess we will have to wait and see, but if it does I will enjoy the fact (in my own personal universe) that I decoded the master plan from jump. Well, at least as far as I am concerned.

Then I thought about Steve Spurrier and his departure from the University of Florida. When asked why he was leaving, Spurrier said that he felt it was time and 10 years at any place is long enough. Maybe this is yet another reason Carroll may soon be the head Seahawk (**as I finish this up I read that sources say Carroll has reached a deal with the Seahawks**). From there, my mind ping-ponged to the head DAWG and what he is currently doing with the football program at the University of Georgia. Mark Richt is not choosing to leave for greener pastures or walk away from the game to spend more time with his family. After averaging 10 wins a year during his nine seasons in Athens, Richt saw his program begin to slip and he has attacked the causes head on by choosing to bring in a new defensive coordinator and, from all reports at this stage, is looking to make that choice from outside his inner circle of friends. I believe Richt realizes that he needs someone that will bring a new and rejuvenated spirit to the Butts-Mehre offices and will be willing to challenge his decision making when necessary. This is not only good for a program, it is absolutely vital to maintaining the type of edge necessary to compete in a league that has produced the last four national champions, a feat never before accomplished in NCAA college football.

I was NEVER saying that I thought Coach Richt was thinking of leaving or that his job was or should be in any danger. If you have ever read my thoughts here before, you know exactly where I stand on Coach Richt and the program he has built at Georgia. To the contrary, I wanted to acknowledge Coach Richt for recognizing the issues within his program and taking the steps necessary to rectify them. Spurrier chose to leave Florida and it looks like Carroll is headed back to the NFL, but that is not who Coach Richt is. The Georgia head coach has made no secret of the fact that he will be at the University of Georgia as long as the DAWG people will have him and his actions this off-season prove that he is willing to do what it takes to make sure that the Georgia program maintains the level of success he is responsible for bringing to Athens…to finish what he started and has built. THAT is who Coach Richt is and I am glad he is our man.