USC players were in tears over Clay Helton dismissal

Earlier this week, USC rocked the football world when they dismissed their head coach, Clay Helton. While many saw the writing on the wall, his players were moved to tears by the news.

“Players were in tears at the news today,” tweeted Yahoo’s Pete Thamel. “Former players love Helton. He brought class and dignity to USC football, which desperately needed it. Can’t overstate what a good human being Clay Helton is.”

USC decided to move on from Helton days after Stanford walked into the Coliseum and defeated the Trojans 48-28. The loss shattered expectations for the Trojans. Moreover, the game ended with fans chanting for USC to fire the head coach.

As many got their wish, Helton ended his time in Los Angeles with a 46-24 record. While players may have loved and respected Helton, there results simply weren’t there.

Clay Helton was never able to bring the Trojans back to the national success they had throughout the 2000s under Pete Carroll. Whoever USC and Mike Bohn bring in next will be expected to make Pac-12 titles and College Football Playoff appearances a common occurrence.

Clay Helton pens heartfelt note to USC Trojans, fans

Even on one of the darkest days of his career, Helton remained all class. Shortly after the news became official, Helton took to Twitter to pen a heartfelt, raw message to the USC faithful..

“On behalf of my family, I want to expressmy sincere appreciation for the opportunity of a lifetime to serve as your Head Football Coach at USC,” Clay Helton said in the message he posted on his official Twitter account. “I want to thank the administration, our Trojan students, alumni, and fans for allowing us to be a part of your family.”

Moreover, Helton spoke directly to the players that respected him greatly.

“To our players, both past and present, I am forever indebted to you for what you have given me,” Helton said in the second part of the message. “The relationships we have made and the memories we have made will be with us forever. I am so appreciative for all of the hard work that our current staff and student-athletes have put into preparing for this season, and while it will be hard to not be in the fight with you, I am confident that great things lie ahead. As you compete for a championship, no one will be cheering louder than the Helton family. Fight on!”

As you can see, it truly feels like Helton was liked by nearly everyone associated with the Trojans program and college football in general. The outpouring of support from current players, alumni, coaches and media members was abundant.

Still, being liked only goes so far. The results didn’t match the love for Clay Helton, and that’s why he was relieved of his duties.

On3’s Sean Labar contributed to this article.