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Aug. 24, 2004
By Dennis Dodd
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
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It's looking less likely that USC receiver Mike Williams will play in Saturday's season opener against Virginia Tech.
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Williams' eligibility status remained up in the air Tuesday, four days before the season begins. He is attempting to regain his amateur status after declaring for the NFL draft, hiring an agent and accepting money from his representative.
Coach of the No. 1 Trojans, an optimistic Pete Carroll, said on Tuesday there is a "possibility" that Williams could still play in the opener. However, time is running out.
USC faxed what is thought the be the final documents needed by the NCAA regarding Williams on Tuesday. The school now awaits the NCAA's decision.
A school source considered Williams' chance at reinstatement at "50-50 at best."
"It's been so frustrating of late that things have not been able to culminate to an end," Carroll said. "We'll just sit on it and see what happens."
With him, USC gets another Heisman Trophy candidate (quarterback Matt Leinart already is considered the favorite) added to its already powerful lineup. Without him, the Trojans will have to move on with a largely inexperienced, but talented, set of receivers.
USC already will be missing starting tailback Hershel Dennis, who is indefinitely suspended for a violation of team rules.
While there is no "drop dead" date for Williams to be able play this week, the team leaves for the Washington D.C. area on Thursday. Presumably, Williams could hop on a flight as late as Friday, if he is cleared.
"The NCAA has been so methodical about this," Carroll said. "I'm not surprised it's gone this long, just by the feel of it."
Williams has been held out of practice the past two weeks as USC put in the game plan for Virginia Tech. Most likely, there are three possible outcomes to his future:
He could be declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA;
He could be reinstated by the NCAA;
He could be reinstated by the NCAA after being suspended for one or more games.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound rising junior has been one of the most dominant receivers in the country the past two years. The Tampa, Fla., product caught 95 passes for 1,314 yards and 16 touchdowns last year in helping lead the Trojans to a co-national championship. He was projected as a first-round choice after declaring for the draft.
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Williams declared for the NFL draft after Maurice Clarett's legal challenge briefly opened the door to players less than three years out of high school. The NFL retained its three-year rule because of a stay by an appellate court. A desperate last-chance appeal by Clarett to the Supreme Court was fruitless.
After the NFL defended its rules, Williams became ineligible in the NCAA's eyes because he had hired an agent and accepted money. Since then he has declared his intention to gain back his eligibility.
Complicating matters is the fact that Williams dropped out of school last semester. He will not only have to win reinstatement of his amateur status, but also get a progress-toward-a-degree waiver from the NCAA; Williams did not return to school until the second summer-school session.
"The thing that struck me so hard is that he jumped the gun," said sports law expert Gary Roberts, deputy dean of the Tulane Law School. "He took some very bad advice in declaring and signing with an agent.
"He knew the Clarett thing would be appealed. He could have and should have waited. He could have publicly said, 'If Clarett prevails, I'm going to come out, too.' He not only declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft, he did everything he needed to do to get ineligible."
Meanwhile, USC will move on, playing as many as six true freshmen against the Hokies on Saturday night at FedEx Field. That includes 6-5, 195-pound receiver Dwayne Jarrett from New Brunswick, N.J., who has been called a Johnson clone.
"To be honest, I don't think it would change too much," Leinart said of Williams' absence. "Having him in the offense does create a little change. He's a big time playmaker. He makes plays all over the field. But we've got the same playbook. We do things without him. ... We haven't tweaked the system at all."
By Dennis Dodd
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Dennis your opinion!
It's looking less likely that USC receiver Mike Williams will play in Saturday's season opener against Virginia Tech.
Advertisement
Williams' eligibility status remained up in the air Tuesday, four days before the season begins. He is attempting to regain his amateur status after declaring for the NFL draft, hiring an agent and accepting money from his representative.
Coach of the No. 1 Trojans, an optimistic Pete Carroll, said on Tuesday there is a "possibility" that Williams could still play in the opener. However, time is running out.
USC faxed what is thought the be the final documents needed by the NCAA regarding Williams on Tuesday. The school now awaits the NCAA's decision.
A school source considered Williams' chance at reinstatement at "50-50 at best."
"It's been so frustrating of late that things have not been able to culminate to an end," Carroll said. "We'll just sit on it and see what happens."
With him, USC gets another Heisman Trophy candidate (quarterback Matt Leinart already is considered the favorite) added to its already powerful lineup. Without him, the Trojans will have to move on with a largely inexperienced, but talented, set of receivers.
USC already will be missing starting tailback Hershel Dennis, who is indefinitely suspended for a violation of team rules.
While there is no "drop dead" date for Williams to be able play this week, the team leaves for the Washington D.C. area on Thursday. Presumably, Williams could hop on a flight as late as Friday, if he is cleared.
"The NCAA has been so methodical about this," Carroll said. "I'm not surprised it's gone this long, just by the feel of it."
Williams has been held out of practice the past two weeks as USC put in the game plan for Virginia Tech. Most likely, there are three possible outcomes to his future:
He could be declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA;
He could be reinstated by the NCAA;
He could be reinstated by the NCAA after being suspended for one or more games.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound rising junior has been one of the most dominant receivers in the country the past two years. The Tampa, Fla., product caught 95 passes for 1,314 yards and 16 touchdowns last year in helping lead the Trojans to a co-national championship. He was projected as a first-round choice after declaring for the draft.
Advertisement
Williams declared for the NFL draft after Maurice Clarett's legal challenge briefly opened the door to players less than three years out of high school. The NFL retained its three-year rule because of a stay by an appellate court. A desperate last-chance appeal by Clarett to the Supreme Court was fruitless.
After the NFL defended its rules, Williams became ineligible in the NCAA's eyes because he had hired an agent and accepted money. Since then he has declared his intention to gain back his eligibility.
Complicating matters is the fact that Williams dropped out of school last semester. He will not only have to win reinstatement of his amateur status, but also get a progress-toward-a-degree waiver from the NCAA; Williams did not return to school until the second summer-school session.
"The thing that struck me so hard is that he jumped the gun," said sports law expert Gary Roberts, deputy dean of the Tulane Law School. "He took some very bad advice in declaring and signing with an agent.
"He knew the Clarett thing would be appealed. He could have and should have waited. He could have publicly said, 'If Clarett prevails, I'm going to come out, too.' He not only declared his eligibility for the NFL Draft, he did everything he needed to do to get ineligible."
Meanwhile, USC will move on, playing as many as six true freshmen against the Hokies on Saturday night at FedEx Field. That includes 6-5, 195-pound receiver Dwayne Jarrett from New Brunswick, N.J., who has been called a Johnson clone.
"To be honest, I don't think it would change too much," Leinart said of Williams' absence. "Having him in the offense does create a little change. He's a big time playmaker. He makes plays all over the field. But we've got the same playbook. We do things without him. ... We haven't tweaked the system at all."
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