Lincoln Riley goes to bat for Christian Roland-Wallace, defends character following 'incorrect call'

Christian Roland-Wallace wasn’t able to make an impact during the first half of USC’s 66-14 win against Nevada on Saturday. But he was front of mind for Lincoln Riley when the USC head coach stepped to the podium following the Trojans’ win.

Roland-Wallace was suspended for the first half of USC’s game on Saturday. It was the result of Roland-Wallace being ejected from the final game of the 2022 season when Roland-Wallace was a member of the Arizona Wildcats. But Riley went to bat for Roland-Wallace in a big way following the game. Before he made his opening statement about the Trojans’ win, Riley addressed the suspension.

“We’re very disappointed that the Pac-12 didn’t allow Christian Roland-Wallace to play in the first half of the game today,” Riley said. “Not one time in the offseason were we informed of a pending suspension. We became aware Thursday afternoon after the majority of the preparation was already done.”

Riley said when the Trojans were told of the suspension, they requested video from the incident that occurred in the final minutes of the rivalry game between Arizona and Arizona State. Roland-Wallace was one of five players ejected from that game for unsportsmanlike conduct following a scuffle between the two teams.

“When we looked at it, it was apparent that Christian was not involved in any way that you could even imagine an ejection,” Riley said. “We felt that it was an incorrect call. When we brought this to the attention of the conference, they stated it was too late and that the ruling had been made.”

Riley said this wasn’t about whether Roland-Wallace was available to the Trojans for the first half or not. Rather, he wanted to make sure this did not get chalked up as a character issue regarding Roland-Wallace.

“In my months here with Christian, I’ve seen the kind of person that he is, the kind of teammate that he is,” Riley said. “I don’t want this to put him in any bad light, because it shouldn’t, and it’s wrong. I think it’s very important to make sure that what happened in this matter is understood. Christian has been a very valuable member of our program and continues to be. And we’re going to make sure that his reputation stays intact like it rightfully should.”

Roland-Wallace was permitted to play in the full Week Zero game. Riley said he believes that was an oversight and understood that things can get confused from an administrative sense due to all the transfers and realignment issues in college football. But Riley said his disappointment stemmed from the fact that there was no way to change the ruling of an automatic suspension from the first half of a game following a second-half ejection in the previous game.

“I just am disappointed that there aren’t mechanisms in place,” Riley said of an appeal. “And even if they’re not, that’s when sometimes you just do the right thing. And I think the video was very apparent. I think we’ve seen every angle, every bit we possibly could. If there’s something we’re missing, then I’m wrong.

“You’ve got a senior here that’s busted his tail,” Riley continued. “We don’t get 60 games. Missing a half of a ballgame for a guy that wants to help his team, for a guy that wants to go play in the NFL, it’s a big deal.”

But Riley again stressed the reputational impact this could have on Roland-Wallace in that pursuit of an NFL future and even just how he’s seen as a person and player. Riley said he didn’t consider this statement to be sending a message to the conference or anybody in particular.

“My goal here is to understand that from what I’ve seen, this kid did not deserve to sit,” Riley said. “And I want to make sure the reputation of him stays intact. That is the number one goal.”

Roland-Wallace entered the game immediately in the second half and finished with two tackles for the Trojans. He’s been a versatile piece of the secondary for USC after coming over from Arizona. He’s worked at all five spots in the defensive backfield and seen time early on at nickel and cornerback.