Osa Masina, Don Hill Suspended From All USC Football Team Activities

USC football linebackers Osa Masina and Don Hill have been suspended from all team activities, head coach Clay Helton announced Tuesday.

The suspension of linebackers Osa Masina and Don Hill has been expanded to included all USC football team activities, including meetings and practices, Helton revealed during his weekly Pac-12 teleconference.

UPDATE 9/13 at 4:20 PM:

Hours after Clay Helton announced that Masina and Hill would be prohibited from team activities, the university released a statement, reported by Joey Kaufman of the OC Register:

"Based on additional information obtained by the university, Osa Masina and Don Hill have been suspended from participation with USC Athletics and the football team. To protect the rights of the students and comply with federal privacy laws no other details will be provided."

Kaufman further received confirmation from Masina’s attorney that the sophomore linebacker had been placed on ‘an interim suspension’ by the university, which included not being able to go to class.

If the status of the suspension being subject to the findings of a Title IX investigation sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a similar development to the sexual misconduct case involving Bryce Dixon in 2015.

Dixon was expelled from USC last spring after it was determined by the Title IX office that he violated the university’s student conduct policy.

–Update provided by Michael Castillo, reignoftroy.com

The two players had been suspended from participating in games, but have been allowed to engage in team activities with no charges filed.

Both are under investigation by the LAPD for a sexual assault that allegedly occurred over the summer. Masina is under additional investigation for another assault the victim alleges took place in Utah a couple of weeks after the initial incident.

The allegations came to light as USC prepared to face Alabama in Arlington, Texas to open the season.

When warrants were issued against Masina, the Trojans suspended him and barred him from travelling with the team.

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Details of the allegations emerged later that week, implicating Hill in the assault. As a result, Hill was also suspended and sent home from Texas.

Last week, as USC got set to face Utah State at the Coliseum, both Masina and Hill were allowed to practice.

At the time, Helton indicated that the university had made the decision to allow them to participate in team activities. Now, the university seems to have changed it’s tune.