USC came away with a thrilling win over Stanford on Saturday afternoon, but the game did not pass without controversy. These are the Trojans, after all.
USC head coach Steve Sarkisian was not a happy camper when linebacker Hayes Pullard was ejected for targeting after he hit Stanford receiver Ty Montgomery on a kick return. Sarkisian argued the call and ended up picking up an unsportsmanlike penalty of his own when an official ruled that he was standing on the field of play while a play was in progress. Here’s the targeting play that got Sark’s blood boiling:
That’s when USC athletic director Pat Haden somehow became involved. Haden, who had been sitting in a private box, jogged down onto the field at Stanford Stadium to argue with the officials. He later explained during an interview with ESPN’s Heather Cox that Sarkisian had summoned him via text message.
“I got a text just to come down because Sark wanted to talk to me,” Haden said, via Fox Sports. “He felt the penalty was unfair and the referee explained he had warned him, so that’s why he got the penalty. It’s been a really frustrating quarter with the penalties, believe me.”
As if an athletic director arguing with refs in the middle of a game isn’s bad enough, Haden also happens to be one of the 13 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee. His behavior would not have been acceptable for any AD, let alone someone in his position. That was not a good look for the NCAA.
GIF via GIFD Sports
