USC appeal denied

The University of Southern California’s programme was called for infractions in its Football and Men’s Basketball programmes in June 2010, with the relevant NCAA committee firing a shot across every college’s bows with the sanctions it proposed to impose on USC.

In the face of these debilitating sanctions USC appealed the decision, and a report by USCFootball.com tonight says that their appeal has been denied. The most high profile infringement is focused on gifts handed to the family of Reggie Bush, in contravention of an NCAA byelaw.

The sanctions handed down in June and appealed in January this year (and in force from now following the failed appeal) include:

• Four years of probation;
• a two-year football postseason ban;
• vacation of regular-season and postseason wins for the sports where infringements were evidenced;
• scholarship reductions in football (to 15 initial grants and 75 total grants for each of the next three seasons (a reduction of 10 a season).

USC who will not be able to take part in this year’s Pac-12 Championship game have confirmed that they will not be lodging any further appeals. The college have been taken out of the running by the NCAA who have signalled to the rest of the competing teams, that what USC did, will never be worth it.