LOS ANGELES — The NCAA has placed the USC football program on one year probation and fined $50,000 for " on- and off-field coaching activities” violations.
USC and the NCAA agreed on a settlement, announced Tuesday.
The NCAA found, through its investigation of USC, that the team exceeded the threshold number of coaches by six during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. During that period, USC had eight analysts involved in on- and off-field coaching.
“Eight analysts for the football program engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities during spring 2022, fall 2022, and spring 2023, resulting in the football program exceeding the permissible number of countable coaches by six for two academic years,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Head coaches are presumed responsible for the actions of their staff, and as a result, Riley violated head coach responsibility rules.”
Coach Lincoln Riley will not face a suspension due to the NCAA’s rule changes in 2023, which shifted head coach responsibilities from a rebuttable presumption to an automatic attachment.
Both parties agreed not to go forward with a suspension of Riley.
“Because Riley was not personally involved in the violations and demonstrated that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored his staff, Riley rebutted his presumed responsibility for the violations occurring before the rules changed. For the same reasons, the parties also agreed that a suspension penalty for Riley was not appropriate,” the NCAA said.
USC will be restricted from having their special team analysts in practice and film sessions for six consecutive days over two weeks during the 2024-25 season.
The remaining analysts will face restrictions from practice and film review for six consecutive days over four weeks of the 2024-2025 season. In addition, USC will self-impose a reduction of countable athletically related activities for the football program by 24 hours during the 2023-24 season.
“Since learning of potential violations related to our football program in May 2023, USC has worked cooperatively with the NCAA enforcement staff and with the Committee on Infractions, as we identified and acknowledged violations, issued corrective measures, and submitted a negotiated resolution in a timely fashion that was approved by the Committee,” USC atheltic director Jen Cohen said in a statement Tuesday.
We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior and integrity in our athletic programs.”
The parties agreed that the school appropriately educated and monitored the football program and that analysts were aware of the rules but intermittently exhibited lapses in judgment.