USC adds infamous JC transfer who punched referee

The USC football team announced on Tuesday the addition of a junior college player who has a checkered past.

Trojans head coach Clay Helton told the media that the program added offensive lineman Bernard Schirmer as a transfer. In 2016, Schirmer was playing for Mt. SAC junior college in Southern California when he punched a referee during a game, leading to his arrest.

Charges against Schirmer was dropped, but the lineman was suspended five years by the Southern California Football Association for his actions.

Helton said the program vetted Schirmer and felt comfortable adding him.

Helton on vetting Schirmer: "What we learned from the administrators, counselors and coaches that we were dealing with a tremendous young man, a man that is a great student and a great person and a guy that we had no question would be a great member of our Trojan family."

— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) August 8, 2018

Schirmer will be on scholarship this fall as a redshirt sophomore.