[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[Hacksaw_64]

Riki Ellison post

On the Record For the Record

"Here are provided seats of meditative joy, where shall rise again the destined reign of Troy."

It is unfathomable and unconscionable that the University of Southern California and its President has not removed Pat Haden from his Athletic Director Position after the LA Times article on Saturday that validated Pat Haden has 12 additional time committed jobs outside of USC earning at least a half a million dollars a year. Showing clear evidence of negligence of time management of Pat Haden overseeing USC's student athletes and sports administration of all the sports that he is responsible for as well as abuse of power and influence of his position to gain personal wealth along with conflict of interests between some or all the organizations he is hired by and USC. Added to this is the deplorable charging of his charitable organizations for extraordinary amounts of money for his time, when the universal concept of charity is giving not taking. With a salary stated by the LA Times from last years tax returns at 2.5 million from USC for being the full time Athletic Director, not a part time one which the full compensation package has not been fully identified and reason to believe it would be greater than the Head Coach's one that he hired and had to oversee. For Pat Haden to continue in this capacity as an Athletic Director is just wrong, unethical, and enabling dereliction of duty for the welfare of the student athletes at USC and a direct reflection on the President of the University and the University itself as being complaint in enabling incompetency and corruption run amok in its Athletic Department.
What other University or Academic Institution in the United States would allow this to continue? If these unethical and unscrupulous efforts are all about bringing money into the University and for Pat Haden on behalf of the President of the University, then at the minimum take Pat Haden away from his incompetency overseeing the football program, its student athletes, that are being leveraged by his toxic influence and power of the 120 million dollar USC Athletic Budget and put him into an emeritus state in charge of development of the elite, privileged "billionaire boys club" donors to USC.

These are my emails to USC Athletics on the day after the decision was announced to hire Sark that surprised and shocked many of us, including me that had informed them of character issues. It behoves to understand what USC paid 500,000 for a search firm and to see their reports and really what was really behind the decision to hire Sark over other much more qualified candidates that had no character issues.

From: Riki Ellison
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 11:15 AM
Subject: USC Football

Big movement and big decision by you and your team. Wanted to give you a heads up, so you can shape Sark and raise him to the next level. I am very close to one of the UW Board of Regents who were looking to replace Sark due to his off the field activities that have caused issues in the community as well as their frustration with him. Character and values have to be foremost in his new position at USC and you should be shaping that part just as much as you do with his football aspects as a head coach.

You have to be very sensitive and be very proactive right now to this team and parents as if Rhett was playing for USC right now, I would be absolutely furious and those senior parents and players must be devastated of how the program in their eyes have betrayed them with 3 different coaches their senior year and this season with a new one coming on. That issue has to be resolved and something special must and should be done to address this as the reputation let alone trust in the program from both the players and the parents is in jeopardy.

The Brand of USC is at stake with both of these and as you well know USC Football is bigger than that Athletic Department and Head Football Coach.

Fight On!

Riki

From: Riki Ellison
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 11:25 AM
Subject: RE: USC Football

Its not a good choice and either he or Pat or both will be gone within 4 years.

Very surprised that they did not do the due diligence behind this and wanted to make a decision this early, they should of let Coach O finish the bowl game.

From: Riki Ellison
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2013 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: USC Football

I am equally dismayed and concerned at the signing of one of our best coaches for USC from our program to UCLA. That too was an indictment of Pat Haden and his choice for Head coach. Kenndy Pola was the Marv Goux of the program under Lane and also with Pete Carroll when they won it all. Sark new him well. We are on a course of action that does not look promising and reflects out program poorly

Riki

"He reflects our university and program. He needs to be of that character to do so with upmost class. You cannot lead with out and certainly cannot win championships nor gain the respect of your players without. My expectations for our school are high as yours should be, we don’t need a head coach without character." December 4, 2013

As a alumnus and parent that over the five years prior went to every USC football game home and away, every Friday practice, every trojan walk, spending time with the team players, coaches and staff every week, much more than the part time Athletic Director, it behoved me less then 18 months removed with three quarters of the team I knew intact to provide information to help make the team become better and a much more enjoyable experience for the football student athletes.



Riki

[Hacksaw_64]

It's kinda funny. Helton has learned pretty quick what Sark never could. You can't win games on Cody Kesslers arm. I have no idea where all this hype is coming from but that is all it is "hype". Barkley is a better pro prospect by far, and its not even close. Now on if you watched what Helton has done is limit Kessler to a game manager in the passing attack to distribute the ball to his bevy of playmakers. AND RUN THE BALL STUPID! Along with switching to a 3-4 defnese against Utah and another decent defensive effort against Cal. The Trojans look like a different team.In both games, Jalen Green has thrown a nice deep ball. Keep an eye on this kid.

[Hacksaw_64]

Steve Sarkisian sues USC over his firing as football coach



Former USC football coach Steve Sarkisian sued the school Monday, claiming that Athletic Director Pat Haden fired him in October instead of allowing him to seek treatment for alcoholism.

“Instead of accommodating Steve Sarkisian’s disability, USC kicked him to the curb,” the lawsuit said.

The 31-page complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges breach of contract, discrimination on the basis of disability and invasion of privacy. It also provides Sarkisian's first public account of the events that led to his ouster after less than two years as USC’s head coach.

In the suit, Sarkisian says the stress of his job coupled with his wife filing for divorce earlier this year furthered his alcohol dependency.
Steve Sarkisian's lawsuit against USC
Steve Sarkisian's lawsuit against USC

The issue came into public view during USC’s Salute to Troy booster event in August. Sarkisian said in the lawsuit that hours before the event, he consumed two light beers along with prescription medication for anxiety. When Sarkisian spoke at the event, he slurred his words and uttered a profanity.

“Haden then met privately with Mr. Sarkisian and threatened that he could fire him on the spot,” the lawsuit said.

In the aftermath, the lawsuit said, Haden required Sarkisian to sign a letter agreeing to apologize for his behavior and to meet weekly with a therapist at USC.

The lawsuit said Sarkisian had no alcohol-related issues following Salute to Troy, and pointedly denied that the coach was intoxicated during a Sept. 26 game against Arizona State.

FULL COVERAGE: Steve Sarkisian and USC

However, the lawsuit said, after Washington, where Sarkisian coached for five seasons prior to coming to USC, upset the Trojans, 17-12, on Oct. 8, the coach’s “depression and anxiety worsened” and his alcohol consumption outside of work increased.

On Oct. 11, the lawsuit said, Sarkisian arrived at USC for a team meeting but did not feel right after drinking the previous night. The lawsuit said Sarkisian wasn’t intoxicated at the meeting, but had taken prescription medication before the gathering and that his anxiety and depression were “spiraling out of control in his mind.”

“The combination of those events led Mr. Sarkisian to not appear to be normal,” the lawsuit said.

Sarkisian realized he needed help and left USC of his own volition before that afternoon’s practice, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said Sarkisan was “upset, teary and nearly hyperventilating” before finally calling Haden on a speaker phone and asking for time off.

According to the lawsuit, Haden said: “Unbelievable! Can’t you even go back to the office to finish the day?”
Steve Sarkisian sues USC

Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry discuss Steve Sarkisian's lawsuit against USC.

Sarkisian responded: “No, I need to get help. I’m not right.”

Haden directed Sarkisian to speak to a USC sports psychologist who previously counseled the coach and placed him on leave.

The next day, Sarkisian took a noon flight to an in-patient treatment facility. When he landed, the lawsuit said, he learned Haden had fired him when the coach saw a letter of termination attached to an email.

“Not once did Haden ask Steve Sarkisian what happened at the team meeting nor even whether he had been drinking shortly before the meeting,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said Sarkisian is owed at least $12.6 million under his contract with USC, in addition to other damages.

"Disability law is a complicated area ... and it often doesn't have easy, predictable outcomes, especially in the context of drugs and alcohol," said Michael McCann, a sports law professor at the University of New Hampshire. "A key issue will be whether Sarkisian was actively abusing alcohol while on the job."

Sarkisian has completed “intensive” treatment, the complaint said, is sober and ready to return to coaching.

"Steve at this point lost his team, lost his income, lost the job that he loved," said Alan Loewinsohn, Sarkisian's Dallas-based attorney. "USC left him no choice but to bring that to light and seek the justice the law affords."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-usc ... story.html