USC: T.J. Simers rips football team for phoniness, character, honesty
By Peter Smith
T.J. Simers, a columnist for the Orange County Register, wrote a column taking USC’s football team to task on a number of fronts. The article was extremely critical of Ed Orgeron for the way he left after not getting the head coaching job, the players for their lack of discipline during the Las Vegas Bowl against Fresno State along with a lack of class as they mocked the Bulldogs on the field. Simers also was extremely critical of both Pat Haden, the school’s athletic director and new head coach Steve Sarkisian.
With Sarkisian, he discussed the fact that Sarkisian has dealt with every tough question in a round about way, ultimately not saying anything about the issue. This came up both when he was asked about players taunting during the game; an event he watched from the press box in addition to the issues surrounding Tosh Lopui, who has gotten in trouble for allegedly paying a coach for a player while at Washington. The problem, as argued by Simers, is these issues are not new or a surprise to Sarkisian as Lopui was part of his staff while in Seattle.
The article has strong words for everyone including coaches, administration, players and the fan base in a way for accepting it because they feel it is their birth right to be great. For a head coach who did not even coach a game, it is not a great start for his program. Ultimately, this particular article will likely have minimal impact as far as changing minds within the fan base for USC, but certainly sheds an ugly light for anyone on the outside looking in at Southern Cal.