Q. Any update on how the USC "investigation" is coming along?
A. No one from the NCAA, Pac-10 or any other involved party is allowed to speak about the "ongoing" investigation, but if I had to guess...
- 1) The investigation has shifted entirely to ex-coachTim Floyd's rogue basketball program, which could be in big, big trouble if it did indeed pay for O.J. Mayo.
- 2) While it was abundantly clear to anyone who read the original Yahoo! reports Reggie Bush was ineligible while at USC, the NCAA was never able to nail down hard evidence due to Bush's non-cooperation and the fact he bought off one of the key witnesses. If it had, it would have announced something as far back as year or two ago.
- 3) Therefore, when the NCAA announced in April it was combining the football and basketball probes, it was probably doing so as a convenient way to save face. At some point in the near future, the NCAA will announce its findings, and while it may well result in severe penalties for the hoops program, football will likely be scantily mentioned or affected. The football team can't lose scholarships due to the basketball team's infractions.
