USC's Sanctions Extreme, Unjust: Media Coverage Biased, Ignores NCAA's Wrongs

I get it.

I understand that fans of other major programs out there do not like USC. We have star power, swagger, academic excellence, and the city of Los Angeles.

We are the golden child of the Pac-10.

I don't blame other programs for disliking us, either. Heck, I went to USC for school telling myself I would never become a Trojan football fan. I didn't want to turn my back on my own football history.

There is just something spectacular about being at USC that forces you to love it. People sense that, and they don't like us for it.

So when I read all of these extreme media reports about, "Oh! USC got off light," I am somewhat taken aback at first. How could anyone possibly think that?

The first issue is that no punishment, aside from retroactive stripping of wins, would fit this crime. That is because the people who committed the wrongdoing have been gone for a very, very long time.

The NCAA's postseason ban is akin to the United States government giving Mark Sanchez the death penalty because O.J. Simpson killed people.

At some point, the governing body has to admit it missed the window for justice. The NCAA dragged along on this for four years...there should be a statute of limitations on penalties.

What the heck did any of the kids who are currently at USC do wrong?

Isn't that ultimately what college football is about? These student athletes are getting punished without having done anything wrong, and that makes the NCAA the villain here, folks. If you can forget your dislike for USC, and imagine that it was your program instead, you would be furious.

The other issue here is that the punishment is because one player, Reggie Bush, took some money for his family from a shady sports agent. Because of that, the NCAA thinks it should invalidate the past performance of USC teams.

My first question is what does Reggie Bush getting money have to do with the performance of the USC football team? That team was spectacular, and it played a good amount of ball. Reggie Bush getting money didn't change that. The punishment isn't even related to the crime.

And believe me, USC isn't the only program in the country to have had a star player receive improper benefits. It is happening all over the country—constantly—at every major program.

Reggie just got caught because USC is under a media microscope.

It is hilarious how quickly the ESPN fan squad can go from kissing Pete Carroll's feet to writing him hate mail. Hello, ESPN, send out a memo: You are a bunch of hypocrites.

But at the same time, what Reggie did really isn't wrong.

The NCAA made millions of dollars off of Reggie Bush, and it isn't forfeiting any of it, so what is the big issue with making money? This is America, and college football isn't a small time scheme anymore, people. It has turned into a big business. He got some money so his family could live in L.A.

In an abstract sense, the NCAA is condemning the existence of capitalism, with a bunch of extreme punishments that have absolutely nothing to do with the past.

This is like saying, "OK, Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush, we didn't catch you while you were there, but we're going to penalize everyone who is there now!"

The NCAA failed to bring justice when it had the chance, so instead it is bringing more injustice. It doesn't make sense to any rational, thoughtful person.

It would be like the United States attacking Japan today and justifying it with Pearl Harbor. All responsible parties who were involved at the time are now gone.

This sets a dangerous precedent for college football, because it gives the NCAA blanket control over space-time.

No one should have that kind of power.

If fans would put away their passionate resentment of USC, only for a moment, they could see how undeniably unjust the NCAA's rulings actually are.

They would be able to see how at risk their own programs are to this kind of judicial insanity.