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The NCAA dealt a cruel blow to USC's Mike Williams by denying his reinstatement. "It's very cold and insensitive for them to deny him this opportunity," USC Head Coach Pete Carroll said.
LAist couldn't agree more. Williams worked his tail off this summer to retain good academic standing, and his entire family went out of their way to return every gift, every receipt, and everything they could find from the agent he initially hired.
What more did he need to do? Did Williams ever really have a chance of reinstatement?
This is NCAA bureaucratic power politics at its finest. Williams took advantage of a court decision to go pro, which he had no idea would be overturned. The NCAA should recognize this is an exception and not deny him a chance to further his football education. No. 1 USC will be OK against Virginia Tech on Saturday. There's still plenty of talent in Trojan land. But for the NCAA to screw Williams out of an opportunity so they could send some kind of silly message is sickening.
