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From one major Los Angeles Pac-12 program to the other, there's potential violations going on all over the place.
The USC Trojans have plenty to enjoy on the field right now. But off the field? The Trojans have another big-time issue looming that could jeopardize more of their old results on the field and result in more punishments for the program. The Los Angeles Times has this report on a booster potentially paying USC players.
The allegations are contained among hundreds of Scott Schenter's county work emails that suggest the former appraiser provided football star Joe McKnight with a car and an airline ticket, and basketball player Davon Jefferson with about $3,700 in cash. The Times obtained the emails from the assessor's office under the California Public Records Act.
It's hard to see how USC doesn't get hit after already being punished for similar issues before this one. The Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo cases have clouded Trojan athletic Trojans the past half-decade, and McKnight-Jefferson has the potential to unleash another storm.
How Pat Haden approaches this issue and manages to minimize any potential damage could determine how long he stays this school's athletic director. If he can stay ahead of the issue and keep punishment to a minimum (or avoid it altogether), Haden will probably be lauded and will be at USC for quite some time.
If he fails? Well, we all remember what happened to Mike Garrett.