USC AD Pat Haden Acts Like Wimp In Treatment of Reggie Bush

USC traded a warrior athletic director for a wimp. While some alums (ok, a lot of USC alums) didn't like Former USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett's bedside manner, there was no question where he stood: with USC.

By contrast, where new USC Athletic Director Pat Haden stands is not exactly with USC and all the players who made it what is it is, but with making USC and himself look good at the expense of the USC player when it suits him, in this case USC and New Orleans Saints Running Back Reggie Bush.

 That kind of behavior reveals that Haden is, in the opinion of this space, two-faced and spineless.

High school football players should take Haden's opportunistic behavior as a clue and avoid attending or playing for USC. You could be the one USC uses to gain millions in revenue, only to disown you when the weather of public opinion goes bad. Is that what you want?

As a Cal Alum it's fun to watch USC go through its problems, but we all know its meaningless if USC continues to beat the crap out of Cal on the gridiron. Reggie Bush was part of those at times lopsided wins against Cal that helped sell USC season tickets, hats, jerseys, and those silly "We are number one" finger hands. USC made millions of dollars from Reggie Bush, yet fails to stand behind him in his and its  darkest hour.

IF Bush Is To Return Heisman, USC Should Return Its Revenue

For Pat Haden to get on The Dan Patrick Show and trash Reggie Bush, basically asking him to give back the Heisman Trophy he so rightfully won, was shameful, horrible, and funny.  Shameful because of how USC's athletic business benefitted from Bush' performance. Horrible, because Former USC Head Coach and Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll gets off scot free, and is allowed to enjoy the fruits of his USC success with none of the headache that came with the Bush scandal. Funny, because both Hayden and Carroll are allowed to get away with this murder of Reggie Bush by the media.

Constant readers of this space who have a nervous twinge about race are certainly waiting for a mention of it. To appease them, of course it looks like Reggie Bush as the modern black slave who toiled for a university, apparently did what was asked of him (which is the rub) and is now being told by that same institution he can't even step on campus.

USC says its filing an appeal to the NCAA sanctions. Under Mike Garrett, that looked like a serious effort; under Pat Haden it looks like a joke.  For Haden, that appeal should be reflected in an expressed willingness to fight for all that is USC. Instead Pat Haden wants to look good for the public and throw Bush under the bus, which is like saying "We're not going to appeal to the NCAA and we were wrong. See how I'm treating Reggie? I'm trying to make up, NCAA!"

That's awful.

If Pat Haden had any spine at all, he left it on the playing field a long time ago.