USC assistant Todd McNair’s defamation lawsuit against the NCAA settled after 10 years.
McNair was punished by the NCAA for his alleged role in the infractions case involving Reggie Bush (though many would say McNair was unfairly and maliciously punished by the NCAA even though he had no role whatsoever in Reggie Bush’s misdeeds).
Dennis Dodd (CBS Sports) — Former USC assistant Todd McNair and the NCAA have settled McNair’s decade-long defamation lawsuit, the two sides announced in a joint statement on Monday. The terms of the settlement were not revealed.
McNair, who was the Trojans’ running backs coach from 2004-10, sued the NCAA in 2011 after the association said he had knowledge of Reggie Bush’s wrongdoing in the epic case that resulted in major sanctions against USC.
During the case’s litigation, a judge called the NCAA’s infractions report “malicious” toward McNair. The documents that emerged from the trial were among the most damaging ever revealed against the NCAA enforcement process.
USC was hit with the loss of 30 scholarships and a two-year bowl ban in 2010. McNair was given a one-year show-cause by the NCAA which effectively made him unhirable as a college coach. McNair, now 55, didn’t work again above the high school level until he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a running backs coach in 2019. In a sort of circle-of-life coincidence, McNair has now been part of a national championship (2004, USC) and Super Bowl championship (2020, Tampa Bay).
“After ten years of litigation, both sides have come together to resolve this matter to the mutual satisfaction of all parties involved,” the statement said.
cbssports.com
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This is what today’s PAC-12 is all about. Picking up the leftovers after the top pickings (sooners & horns) are gone elsewhere. All I can say there’s two persons are mainly responsible for this scenario: The then Chairman of the PAC-12 presidents committee (UCLA chancellor) and a phony commissioner had Oklahoma’s & Texas’ attention a few years back and ready to bolt the Big 12 and come into the PAC-12. Those two programs alone would have prevented what has happened to the PAC-12 today in pure mediocrity! Just another example of idiots driving the bus and expecting their alumns &… Read more »
After listening thoroughly to the beginning of Pac-12 Media Days, I don’t get the impression there will be any Pac-12 expansion, or defections. It seems to me like the Pac-12 is very hunkered down, will try in every way to improve the individual Pac-12 programs, but likes the fact that the Pac-12 is the only Power 5 conference with teams in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones. This seems very significant to Kliavkoff, who also sees “no risk whatsoever” in staying at 12 teams. It would take an earthquake to remake the composition of the Pac-12 now, or soon, based… Read more »
Don’t make me laugh Allen…. that this conference will try to improve individual programs. This conference is in it for the TV money and will continue to support a minimum as it has for the past 50 years. This conference needs to b e blown up and recreated. Watching PAC-12 games today are just like watching MWC-Conference USA games. The qulity isn’t there and you know it.
The pressure is just huge on the individual Pac-12 football programs to improve themselves and start winning big games. This is coming from so many directions, it’s laughable at this stage. USC takes a lot of heat for not being dominant anymore just because that is perceived as being a big ball-and-chain on the Pac-12. They say that when the big brand teams are strong, it’s good for the game. I believe that. Watching USC play Notre Dame when both are top 10 schools is something I haven’t seen in quite a while, and sure miss. While I think the… Read more »
Per Pac-12 Media Day reporters, TEXAS TECH has been in touch with the Pac-12 about possibly joining. Kliavkoff declined to acknowledge, but it appears true.
How would you like to be the B12 Commissioner now? I asked a friend of mine, who is an OU grad, what he thought. His reply was the B12 Commissioner should get his resume up to date! Texas has 7 Power 5 teams: UT, A&M, Texas Tech, SMU, TCU, Baylor and Houston. Two will shortly be in the SEC (UT and A&M). What happens to the rest? Iowa has two: Iowa and Iowa St. Kansas has two: Kansas and Kansas St. It is obvious that West VA will now seek to join the ACC. This is certainly an interesting time!
The Big 12 is formally finished as we have come to know them.
The Pac-12 just passed them up and moved into the #4 spot without doing a thing. There’s a Silver Linings Playbook for you! 😃
I think the gap between the Pac and the top 3 widened. Did you see the ranking for SC by those who pick it to win the South? Only one had them in the top 12. If they finish like you and I are picking them, they will not make the top 25.
Neither the Big Ten, nor the ACC, has done a thing yet.
How could they suddenly have widened their gap over the Pac-12 because of what the SEC is doing?
USC has a coaching problem that is bigger than its conference problem. USC can still win a football NC with the right coach. I think we can all at least agree on that.
Allen, I concede. I was simply wrong in my last post. And I agree. Perhaps the largest problem at SC (and probably in the Pac) is the coaching. With the right coach, SC can be right back in the mix. And, we all know that Helton is not that coach. With him at the helm, SC is lucky to top 30.
No concession of any sort is necessary. We’re all just throwing out opinions here on the run, while many other moving parts are coming together, unpredictably, even illogically.
I’m especially interested in what the Pac-12 and USC do to respond to the TEXAS/OU move. That really shakes the CFB world IMO. This is a tough one.
RJJ the gap increases each year. This conference would struggle playing Conference USA and probably MWC. And yet the PAC feels it deserves being in the playoffs. What a joke.
The PAC-12 is like the Cat? It continues to fail upward, just like Uncle Clay.
Imagine how the rest of the CFB would have absorbed the sudden announcement by USC and ORE that they were formally and irreversibly leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. What would have happened then?
I think that would be special. But carol won’t let us have nice things….
And it will be just another excuse for the administrations of this pathetic conference to do nothing other than push to include it into the playoffs. Compete like Conference USA but still cry about getting into the playoffs. Which PAC-12 program do you think could win a playoff game today? I say none of them!
Oh big joy, big bad Texas Tech.
After OU and TEXAS, there are simply no other available programs with near that eyeball attention, as you know. All part of the SEC plan. Could be genius? Maybe not.
Frankly, I don’t know much at all about any of these Texas schools like BAY, TCU, and TT, or places like KU, KSU and OKS.
anybody else thinking that our must win games for the 2023 season are at Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa St, plus home wins against UCLA, Minn, and Washington. This should put us right in line for the Big 10 west title.
Chris, I can’t think beyond this coming season. We may or may not have an entire change in our coaching situation in 2023.
Plus, have you been following the unrest of the Nebraska alumni with their coaching staff — especially Frost? Thinking about that game is definitely capable of causing severe brain damage — JMHO
Frost is the only coach (off the top of my head) who is in hotter water than Helton.
The Cat is like a frog in a boiling pot of water. He keeps adapting to the rising water temperature and is oblivious to his dire circumstances….
He’s more like a rabbit in a boiling pot of water if Fatal Attraction has any bearing on these dire circumstances!
What ever kind of boiling receptacle we need for a cat, I will pony up for buying it. (virtual boiling, boys.)
Yes Allen, it does seem that way. And he even played for the Cornhuskers.
NEB doesn’t fit in the Big Ten I don’t believe. That would be a move made by a big-time school that I think was a mistake. Who’s the Huskers big rival now?
Chris, I wish I knew. I never saw UT and OU to the SEC but it happened. I agree that the most logical more for SC is to leave the Pac and join the B10. But, will it happen? I like a line from the movie “Patton” where Patton says that he has a short window in which his 3rd Army could invade Germany and quickly advance to Berlin from the West, but that window was closing and once closed it was gone forever. I think SC is now in the same position; it has a very short window to… Read more »
No way will USC, either by itself, or with others, leave the Pac-12 in the immed, or forseeable future. JMHO.
Allen, my guess is you are correct. SC’s leadership over football has been making bone headed decisions for the last 10 years, why should it stop now? The smart move is to leave. Given the present leadership and SC’s recent decision making, we can count on them NOT making the smart move. I have always felt that what appears to be the “safest” move is unusually the most risky and what appears to the most risky is probably the “safest.” Look at SC’s leadership – caught flat footed and forced to react. I doubt SC’s leadership had a contingency plan… Read more »
Andy Staples (The Athletic): Conference realignment is a ruthless business, which is why the Big Ten should consider raiding its old friend, the Pac-12 “Still, there is also no guarantee any of the Pac-12 schools would say yes to another league. They have been incredibly loyal to one another, and the presidents at the schools I mentioned above might simply be fine with being nationally irrelevant in football as long as the group is nationally irrelevant together. “Still, this is a problem for Kliavkoff whether or not the Big Ten dreams big. He has made clear that his job is… Read more »
Allen, thanks for the article. And you nailed the most important quote. It clearly implies (I think it is fact) that the Presidents of the Pac overwhelmingly have no problem with becoming irrevelant in football. The only important exceptions are Oregon and Utah. And perhaps SC. I think we all realize that SC is very much a “perhaps.” You and I agree that Folt would have no problem with SC becoming irrevelant in football, but we also agree if she did so overtly and quickly, her term as President would come to an abrupt end. I think the Pac (over… Read more »
I’ve been listening to George Kliavkoff speak at the Pac-12 Media Day this morning. From what he’s totally emphasized today, the Pac-12 has no intention of doing anything other than focusing very heavily on football. It’s very clear he feels intense pressure in this regard.
Pure propaganda. He said what he had to say. At least he understands what has to happen, but if he thinks the Pac can compete in football with the SEC, B10, or ACC over time, he is delusional. The Pac culturally and demographically is about to become irrelevant nationally. UT and OU just filed formal requests to join the SEC. Both schools saw what is coming and adjusted. The issue is what will SC do given what should now be obvious.
Kliavkoff may be a lot of things, but he is certainly not “delusional.”
I agree. I was not as clear as I should have been. I think he knows exactly what the problem is. My point is he was saying what he had to say and stating the obvious. The Pac is now in full reactionary mode. It has been totally outmaneuvered by the SEC, B10 and ACC. I think the ACC will react quickly and the B10 more slowly. Look to Covid as a model. The SEC set the example and the ACC followed quickly. The B10 at first balked (and the Pac followed the B10 and the Ivys) and then in… Read more »
Indeed, Kliavkoff has his hands full and will need to make many critical decisions over the next year, and thereafter. I didn’t get the impression Kliavkoff was just paying lip service to making football a much-improved product in the Pac-12. I could obviously be wrong, but he spent so much time addressing football improvement, as the very lifeblood of athletic program support, again, and again, and again. “Every decision the conference makes regarding football is on the table for discussion.” IMO, Kliavkoff was not just repeating what he has to say. He was instead emphasizing what has to be done.… Read more »
PRE-SEASON USC FOOPTBALL RANKINGS
The 2021 Trojans are picked to finish in the Top 25 nationally and in the Top 2 in the Pac-12 South standings, according to many pre-season prognosticators. Here are the picks, to date:
National / Pac-12 South
Pro Football Network 10th / 1st
Sporting News 12th / 1st
Phil Steele 13th/ 1st
Pro Football Focus 16th / 1st
CollegeFootballNews.com 16th / 1st
Athlon 18th / 2nd
CBSSports.com 19th / 1st
ESPN.com 21st / 1st
Lindy’s 22nd / 2nd
usctrojans.com
2nd place in the south would be a massive failure. So that’s most likely what will happen. I think we will have the best defense in the conference and I have no faith in a consistent offense.
I would think The Cat gets let go with a 2nd place South finish. But if USC wins the South, I can see Bohn keeping him, unless USC loses to both ND and UCLA.
UCLA is garbage, we will win that game. ND is most likely another loss, same old reasons. We are nearing the end of “buyout is too high” talk. I think this year has to be great, like win pac 12 and finish top 10 great, to even consider keeping him around any longer. Everyone now knows who he is by now, he is firmly settled into the 8-4 coach that we all don’t want.
I sure hope you are right and that UCLA is garbage. I love to see those little gutties lose to the big, bad Trojans, especially in football. The sports media doesn’t seem to think that much of the Bruins in 2021, but there seems to be a strong undercurrent among some that UCLA is finally ready to break out under Choc Chip Kelly. It’s about time, but I still have hope that UCLA will stink yet again, and have their sixth losing season in a row. I do think UCLA will be better than last year for a number of… Read more »
Chris, I think you are wrong on UCLA. They basically their entire team from last year. For example, they return their entire OL, which was very good last year (3rd in the Pac in rushing) and their QB (DTR) who is probably the most athletic QB in the Pac. Last year, SC was lucky to win and the prime reason SC won was Hufanga. The largest problem for UCLA this year is its schedule, which is brutal. They went 3-4 last year, but lost their four games by a total of 15 points. I think UCLA will handle SC this… Read more »
RJJ,
let me clarify a bit. UCLA is always garbage
On that we agree!
Really happy for Todd, but selfishly wish the NCAA would have been even more exposed during another trial. Im sure Bush is relieved since his actions caused this to begin with. Interesting that for all the “judge and Jury” power the NCAA had 10 years ago, Mark Emmert and his cronies are now just standing by and watching member conferences and schools dictate the future. What happened to an oversight committee looking out for the overall best interests of all its members instead of just the SEC. Looks like they have been permanently neutered, so why not just disband the… Read more »
I was wondering why I had this general sense of well-being this afternoon. Then I remembered, McNair just got his desired libel suit settlement, after so, so many years of being treated beyond horrible by the many arms of the NCAA. Again, well done McNair! Thanks for hanging in there against a brutal organization that was bent on destroying you, and failed. You won! Make no mistake about this. The judicial moderator set the tone for this settlement, which the NCAA would never agree to were they not at their absolute wit’s end. The Supreme Court, Bush pushing for his… Read more »
The NCAA is fast becoming obsolete. Good riddance!
I think that is why the SEC wants to do a super conference; to eliminate or reduce the relevance of the NCAA. This is darwinism applied to college football.
Right you are Chris — 100%. And along with the Texas/Oklahoma’s potential move to the SEC, big chnages are a coming in a couple year.
Too bad Fatty Dees isn’t still alive to suffer a ton of grief. 😰
Here’s all you need to know:
Miami Hurricanes’ Paul Dee: Biggest Hypocrite in Sports a USC Perspective
BR.com
I still take regular trips to MIA so I can go P_ss on his gravesite. But, I am not bitter about Mr. Dee.
Couldn’t be happier for TM. He will never truly get back what the NCAA took from him. But the silver lining is if this didn’t happen to him he probably wouldn’t have been with Tampa Bay for the SB.
There is never “mutual satisfaction” when an Agreement is reached. The best resolution is when both sides are not completely happy with the results, but sign anyway. McNair was out of the money for about 8 years except what he received as a high school coach (not much). At his level of coaching expertise I would guess he could have made $750,000 per year times 8 years or $6 million. Compromising down 25% I would guess the settlement was around $4.5 million less costs and attorneys’ fees. Reggie Bush will not apologize to the USC Nation, who was hurt by… Read more »
I wonder how much the recent Supreme Court decision factored in the NCAA willing to settle? A rough 10 years for McNair but in the end he has been on Championship Teams at College and NFL, no small feat.
And there’s also this:
Just as Bush began publicly lobbying to get his forfeited Heisman back, McNair and the NCAA suddenly settle.
The NCAA is sinking like a rock in a dirty toilet. So they agreed to settle because EVERYONE is against them now, including the mediator — who told them to pony up. McNair was so blatantly and unfairly wronged. It took the wheels of justice an awfully long time, but those wheels finally turned straight into McNair’s good fortune. ✌
Well said Lawyerjohn. I boycott every broadcast Bush is on because he’s never fessed up publicly, let alone issued an apology to all that were damaged by his indiscretions. Apparently he’s met with the USC Administration and got them to lift the ban on him being on campus. He was a great player, but a POS as a person. I really don’t care if he gets his Heisman back. He can’t overturn the injustice he did to all of the coaches, players and fans.
If Reggie somehow gets it back, thereby benefitting USC, great. If he doesn’t get it back, great. I don’t care either way. I moved on a long time ago, even pre-Helton. But we all seem to keep getting dragged, or sucked, back into this never-ending USC drama. It just never stops. I’m probably grateful!
I don’t think the NCAA, now suddenly bruised by the forced McNair settlement, has any inclination to help Reggie or USC out by re-instating wins, records, victories, et al. Should they decide to actually do that, I would be greatly surprised!
All I can say is thank goodness for Judge Frederick Shaller, who ordered a new trial for McNair after an L.A. jury unjustifiably slammed McNair with no monetary damages in May, 2019. Shaller cited insufficient evidence to support the original verdict and implied bias from a juror. The NCAA appealed Shaller’s lifeline to McNair and got slapped down big-time in Feb when a three-judge panel of the Second Appellate District Court in L.A. denied the NCAA’s appeal of Shaller’s declaratory judgment and his order granting McNair’s motion for a new trial. The appeals court also ordered the NCAA to bear… Read more »
Amen Allen!!!!