Mike Garrett Doesn’t Get It

Mike Garrett is a legend  at USC. Throughout his career, he ran rampantly through defenses–amassing 3,221 yards and scoring 30 touchdowns . In 1965, he led the nation in rushing and won the Heisman trophy. His on-field play endeared him to Trojan fans and led to him landing the job as athletic director at one of America’s most storied programs. However, Garrett’s mishandling of the Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo case has shed a bad light on not only himself, but on the university, its alumni, students, and fans. Regardless of Garrett’s contributions to USC, it is time to terminate his employment as athletic director for his inept tenure at the helm.

Last Thursday, the NCAA delivered perhaps the worst set of sanctions on an athletic program since SMU had its football program disbanded for one season in 1987. Most notably, the NCAA found USC was guilty of a lack of institutional control. Reading through the report, it is evident that USC failed to have enough compliance officers on staff. In fact, one person within the department testified that at one point there was only one person employed for the purpose of making sure NCAA rules were followed. When things go south, the buck has to stop with the man who is in charge of every aspect of the department. Ultimately, it is Garrett who is responsible for making sure the program is running smoothly and cleanly.

Source: Yardbarker.com

Not only did Garrett botch the enforcement aspect of the case, he also failed to respond to the NCAA’s findings properly. At a booster meeting in San Francisco last Thursday, Garrett reportedly told the crowd, “I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy, and they wish they all were Trojans. As I told my staff, I said, ‘You know, I feel invigorated by all this stuff … with the penalty we got today I know we’re bigger than life.”  Although the comments drew a round of cheers from the crowd, they were completely inappropriate. In today’s world of invasive media coverage, Garrett has to be aware that such comments are going to circulate.  Why not just call the head of the Committee on Infractions and accuse him of envy personally? Obviously, Garrett didn’t care, and that is unacceptable.

Why give the NCAA and people who gloat in USC’s failures more ammunition? Many who dislike USC believe that Trojans are pompous and arrogant, and Garrett hasn’t done anything to dispel that image. Sure, the sanctions were unfair. Sure, USC got screwed. But at such a sensitive time, you don’t go parading around like you’re completely innocent when some violations occurred. Whether you agree with his comments that the NCAA is full of envy or not, the truth is right now is not the appropriate time to be taking shots at college athletics’ governing body. The NCAA believed that the campus atmosphere was full of entitlement and non-compliance. Rattling off such arrogant remarks only infuriates the NCAA and makes the appeal process even more difficult.

When outgoing university president Steven B. Sample took over USC in 1991, he had a mission to turn USC into a powerful academic institution that attracted some of the brightest students. Since Sample took over, USC has  improved its reputation immensely by lowering its acceptance rate and becoming the 26th ranked school in the nation. However, the run-in with the NCAA overshadows these accomplishments and paints an ugly picture to those who aren’t familiar with USC’s academics . The sanctions and Garrett’s hubris are a dark cloud hanging over the university. Garrett isn’t the type of person that should be representing the university. While his Trojan pride is appreciated, he is over the top and hurts USC’s image. As incoming president C.L. Max Nikias steps into the office and tries to continue Sample’s work, his first order of business should be to fire Garrett and replace him with someone who is not only well-spoken and full of Trojan pride but someone who those associated with Troy revere.