USC placed on NCAA probation for analyst violations
The NCAA announced Tuesday that enforcement staff and the USC Trojans have agreed to violations and penalties from a Level II violation stemming from analysts providing on and off-field instructions.
USC has been placed on one year of probation — from November 12, 2024 through November 11, 2025. And the university has been fined $50,000. In addition, USC will have to restrict various analysts involved in the issue for six consecutive days during this season. USC self-imposed a penalty to reduce countable athletically related activities for the football program by 25 hours during the season. The Trojans also added a full-time athletics compliance staff member dedicated to football monitoring responsibilities.
The issue stems from when special teams analyst — presumed to be Ryan Dougherty though he is unnamed in the negotiated resolution — “provided technical and tactical instruction to at least one current football student-athlete during 2023 spring practice.” The NCAA enforcement staff received that information and sent a letter of inquiry to USC on May 31, 2023.
On August 3, 2023, USC submitted a self-report, which confirmed the special teams analyst “engaged in brief five-to-10 minute informal, unscheduled meetings with two football student-athletes who requested the special teams analyst’s assistance and feedback in reviewing their spring 2023 practice film.”
In addition, USC found that four offensive and defensive analysts participated in on-field practices in the spring of 2023 outside of their allowable responsibilities. That included “handling equipment, and delivered verbal instruction and feedback to student-athletes during individual position group drills and special teams sessions.” USC also found evidence of analysts providing that same type of on-field instruction dating back to 2022 spring and fall practices.
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Lincoln Riley will not face any suspension, though he was found responsible for the violations that occurred during the spring of 2023.
Considering Riley, the negotiated resolution reads:
“Riley was not personally involved in violations nor aware of the violations at the time the
infractions occurred. Riley also has a demonstrated track record of promoting an atmosphere of
compliance and monitoring his staff and has consistently taken active steps to ensure the football
program operates in a compliant manner. The parties agreed that Riley rebutted the presumption of
responsibility for the violations that occurred before January 1, 2023, and that a suspension penalty
was not appropriate.”
Following an NCAA rule change this past summer, all of the mentioned activities done by the USC analysts are now allowable under NCAA rules.
