USC's Pat Haden Comments on Release of Documents in McNair vs. NCAA Lawsuit

The University of Southern California issued a statement Wednesday condemning the NCAA Committee on Infractions for its conduct during an investigation into the violation of multiple rules during the mid-2000s. 

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After an initial review of this first set of documents unsealed by the court in the McNair v. NCAA lawsuit, it is evident that the content confirms bias against McNair and USC by and on behalf of the NCAA and its Committee on Infractions. We are extremely disappointed and dismayed at the way the NCAA investigated, judged and penalized our university throughout this process. USC hopes that the transparency in this case will ultimately lead to review and changes so that all member institutions receive the fair and impartial treatment they deserve. 

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Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com provided comments from the NCAA on Friday:

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In a statement released Friday, the NCAA said the documents and email correspondence "further demonstrate that the Committee on Infractions is not a body of single-minded individuals but rather a group of individuals with different perspectives who worked diligently to reach a consensus based on information presented to the committee."

The NCAA said it is "confident" the Court of Appeals hearing the McNair case will conclude the committee engaged in a "comprehensive, deliberative process and did not act with malice.

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Previously unreleased documents obtained by Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times recently revealed a seeming prejudice against USC during an investigation into impermissible benefits. In particular, the NCAA targeted former running backs coach Todd McNair, painting him as a "a lying, morally bankrupt criminal…and a hypocrite of the highest order," per an email sent by infractions committee member Shep Cooper.

The emails were obtained as part of a lawsuit McNair filed against the NCAA in 2011, claiming defamation of character. A judge said in 2012 that the NCAA was "malicious" in the handling of the case, specifically targeting McNair in an unfair way. 

CHRIS CARLSON/Associated Press

"These recent documents confirm what we've believed all along, that we were treated unfairly in this investigation and its penalties," USC athletic director Pat Haden said in a statement. "I think these documents are cause for concern about the NCAA's own institutional controls. It should be concerning to all schools that the NCAA didn't appear to follow its own rules."

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who was running the USC program at the time of the violations, said college sports' governing body had "venom" for his team.

“I listened to the venom that they had for our program," Carroll said, per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. "They didn't understand a thing about what we were all about…They never were here. And they didn't want to hear it."

The USC football program was banned from bowl games for two years, docked 30 scholarships and meted out a number of other penalties. Reggie Bush, whose receipt of impermissible benefits helped trigger the investigation, was also stripped of his Heisman Trophy.

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