Clay Helton posts emotional statement following USC firing

USC football wide receiver Michael Pittman and coach Clay Helton. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
USC football wide receiver Michael Pittman and coach Clay Helton. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Clay Helton had an emotional message for the USC football family after the Trojans let him go in the wake of a Week 2 loss to Stanford.

A lot of people around USC football believed Clay Helton wasn’t a good enough head coach. However, no one argues he isn’t a wonderful man.

Helton proved his class once again with his goodbye message to the Trojans after he was fired on Monday.

Clay Helton posted an emotional goodbye message on Twitter

“Dear Trojan Family, On behalf of my family, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity of a lifetime to serve as your Head Football Coach at USC,” Helton wrote on Twitter.

Helton has a special message to his players.

“As you compete for a championship, no one will be cheering louder than The Helton family,” he finished.

Helton became USC’s head coach in 2015 after serving as the interim. He replaced Steve Sarkisan partway through the season and won enough to get the job on a permanent basis. He had early success winning a Rose Bowl to cap the 2016 season. However, he also suffered blowout losses far too often for a Trojan head coach.

Through it all, Helton inspired the loyalty of his players. There was an outpouring of love from them on social media for the head coach after his firing was announced.

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