A bizarre scene unfolded Saturday afternoon during the second half of the USC-Stanford game. For the first time possibly in history, an AD came down to the field to argue a call after being summoned by the head coach via text message.
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It all started when USC LB Hayes Pullard was ejected for targeting, a call Trojans coach Steve Sarkisian vehemently disagreed with (to put it mildly).
Soon, USC athletic director Pat Haden was spotted running onto the field to argue with the officials. Afterward, Haden was interviewed by ESPN’s Heather Cox and explained why he came down from the booth (via the L.A. Times):
"I got a text just to come down because Sark wanted to talk to me, he felt the penalty was unfair and the referee explained he had warned him, so that’s why he got the penalty. It’s been a really frustrating quarter with the penalties, believe me.Asked if he was happy with the response from the officials, Haden said: Most athletic directors and coaches are never happy with the explanations they get, but we got an answer and we have to move on and have a good fourth quarter."
Targeting penalties and the resulting ejections have been leading to plenty of head coach meltdowns the last couple of years, but this is the first time we’ve seen an AD meltdown.
A strange scene for sure, and the explanation doesn’t make it any less bizarre. In fact, the whole texting dimension just makes it more surreal.
You have to wonder if Pat Haden has all of his marbles right now.