[moklerman]

So, Haden was trying to help Sarkisian but now he should be fired? Isn't Plaschke doing exactly what he's criticizing Haden over?

[Elvis]

[TSFH Fan]

So, Haden was trying to help Sarkisian but now he should be fired? Isn't Plaschke doing exactly what he's criticizing Haden over?

Nah, Plaschke is calling out Haden for not helping, for caring about the image of the program more than the person and uses the enabler label:

Though thankfully it's not too late to save Sarkisian's health, it is far too late to save the reputation of the USC athletic department, which, in this instance, valued its image and its results more than the welfare of its students and employees.

You heard him in that infamous Tuesday morning news conference after the "Salute to Troy" debacle, didn't you? He talked sadly like a man who had a problem but no clue how to solve it. And he made it clear that the person who was enabling him was Haden.

[TSFH Fan]

https://twitter.com/usc_athletics/status/653669581769195520

On the one hand, for Sark's sake, I'm hoping this gets him to rock -- gotta hit rock before you can address the problem. So, the "right" move in that sense.

On the other hand, for my agenda/narrative, this sure appears like insensitive POS boosters and alumni turning their back on a member of the family, and proving that the family schtick is BS.

Going forward, Fish is always up to giving someone a second chance and the Rams could use more brains on the offensive side of the ball. Who knows? Hopefully Sark gets his life together and Fish can use him as an Offensive Assistant of some type (like Jeff Garcia) coaching in the Coliseum again next year. I don't know if returning to the Coliseum would be healthy for Sark . . . but, I guess we'll see how this plays out.

[Hacksaw_64]

So, Haden was trying to help Sarkisian but now he should be fired? Isn't Plaschke doing exactly what he's criticizing Haden over?

Nah, Plaschke is calling out Haden for not helping, for caring about the image of the program more than the person and uses the enabler label:

Though thankfully it's not too late to save Sarkisian's health, it is far too late to save the reputation of the USC athletic department, which, in this instance, valued its image and its results more than the welfare of its students and employees.

You heard him in that infamous Tuesday morning news conference after the "Salute to Troy" debacle, didn't you? He talked sadly like a man who had a problem but no clue how to solve it. And he made it clear that the person who was enabling him was Haden.

I can't take anything Plash writes about LA college football seriously with his obvious Briun bias. It's like reading a Bernie article...

[Hacksaw_64]

https://twitter.com/usc_athletics/status/653669581769195520

On the one hand, for Sark's sake, I'm hoping this gets him to rock -- gotta hit rock before you can address the problem. So, the "right" move in that sense.

On the other hand, for my agenda/narrative, this sure appears like insensitive POS boosters and alumni turning their back on a member of the family, and proving that the family schtick is BS.

Going forward, Fish is always up to giving someone a second chance and the Rams could use more brains on the offensive side of the ball. Who knows? Hopefully Sark gets his life together and Fish can use him as an Offensive Assistant of some type (like Jeff Garcia) coaching in the Coliseum again next year. I don't know if returning to the Coliseum would be healthy for Sark . . . but, I guess we'll see how this plays out.

Except Sark doesn't have any brains for offense. I'd rather have Kiffen! LMAO

[TSFH Fan]

I can't take anything Plash writes about LA college football seriously with his obvious Briun bias. It's like reading a Bernie article...

Well, ok, here's a link to Dennis Dodd's article:

Why didn't Haden take stronger action back in August? If his superiors have not asked him that question by the time you read this, Haden will continue to lead from behind.

[Hacksaw_64]

I can't take anything Plash writes about LA college football seriously with his obvious Briun bias. It's like reading a Bernie article...

Well, ok, here's a link to Dennis Dodd's article:

Why didn't Haden take stronger action back in August? If his superiors have not asked him that question by the time you read this, Haden will continue to lead from behind.

I don't have enough information to go by. But, showing up drunk to practice or a game should result in immediate termination as HC. That's not being insensitive. Those are just consequences of his own actions that may end up forcing Sark to get help. I don't know what Haden knew or didn't know prior to the event in August. I'm sure more will be revealed...

[TSFH Fan]

Vinny on the fire Haden bandwagon too:

Bonsignore: Now that USC has fired Sarkisian, Haden should be next to go
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/2015101 ... next-to-go

USC head coach Steve Sarkisian, right, and athletic director Pat Haden during better times last season. Both are in hot water at the school after Sarkisian was suspended indefinitely on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News
POSTED: 10/12/15, 10:52 AM PDT | UPDATED: 3 HRS AGO

By now it’s pretty obvious bartenders and waitresses in and around the University of Washington campus knew a whole lot more about Steve Sarkisian than his past and current employers.

And that is a serious problem for USC and athletic director Pat Haden, who woefully ignored, overlooked or simply turned a blind eye to Sarkisian’s heavy drinking habits that many people in Seattle – including some former Washington football players – were well aware of.

A drinking problem that’s become all to obvious to USC, its fans and the rest of the country.

Haden and USC cut ties with Sarkisian Monday, a day after he was sent home and put on indefinite leave of absence for showing up to work in no condition to do his job.

But it’s clear it might be time for USC to look beyond firing Sarkisian. Perhaps an even bigger housecleaning is due.

That starts with Haden, the man that hired Sarkisian.

At best, Haden is either the classic enabler or too naive to recognize when someone is in serious need of help or steering clear of.

At worst, Haden either knew about Sarkisian’s problems and chose not to deal with them or isn’t on top of his job the way a big-time athletic director should be.

No matter the case, it’s time for USC to take a long, hard look at the man entrusted with the honor, integrity and success of its athletic department.

Failure to do so would mean even more of the sweeping under the rug USC is far too recognized for these days.

Thankfully, it seems Sarkisian’s problems are finally being dealt with. Let’s just hope upon his dismissal, Sarkisian will follow through seeking the help he needs.

But for USC, the focus should now be on Haden. He’s already shown once a lack of command by hiring Sarkisian despite some serious issues. Is Haden really the man USC wants hiring Sarkisian’s replacement?

It’s painfully clear Haden either ignored the serious, troubling signs out of Washington or worse, never took the time to truly vet out the man he would entrust with coaching, developing, nurturing and being a father figure to the 100 or so players who suit up each season for the USC football team.

On top of that, Haden either ignored or wasn’t even aware of the excessive drinking habits Sarkisian carried with him to Los Angeles. Reports have surfaced throughout the day portraying Sarkisian as a heavy drinker at team functions, on team flights and perhaps even while on the job.

They seem to jive with reports coming out of Washington painting Sarkisian as a coach who rang up excessively alarming drinking bills on road trips and recruiting visits and coaching clinics and in his spare time.

The information was not hard to uncover. It’s all there, available to anyone who thought enough to look.

Haden could have easily accessed it if he wanted. He should have, considering the importance of not only identifying the right man to coach the USC football team, but the right kind of leader to be the face of one of the premier programs in the country.

I’d only be guessing what sort of background check Haden triggered during the hiring of Sarkisian.

But it’s not hard to draw some serious conclusions.

All of which shine a negative light on Haden. Enough to make you wonder if USC has the right man in charge.

Haden either ignored some disturbing information about Sarkisian or never thought to seek it out is out. Both failures are damning indictments on Haden’s ability to lead the USC athletic department.

Even more enraging is how Haden has turned a blind eye – or wasn’t aware of – things happening right under his nose.

When he should have ordered Sarkisian take a leave of absence after Sarkisian drunkenly embarrassed himself and USC at the infamous booster function in August, Haden let the coach go with a slap on the wrist.

When it was obvious Sarkisian was using company time and team functions to feed his drinking habits, Haden was either ignorant to what was happening or didn’t care enough to step in and do something about it.

It’s the complete opposite of leadership.

It’s contradictory to Haden’s job title.

It’s one thing if this was a professional sports team in which Sarkisian was in charge of grown men. Not exactly the look I’d want for my coach if If were an owner, but at least we’re dealing with adults.

Sarkisian was being trusted with the nurturing and development and well being of teenagers growing into young men. And Haden is the man who put him there.

Whether Haden knew of Sarkisian’s past and current issues or just turned a blind eye is almost beside the point. Either way, he didn’t do his job.

And that should probably cost him his job too.

[TSFH Fan]

It's time for Pat Haden to go, too
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /73789912/

With USC football coach Steve Sarkisian terminated, it's time to evaluate USC's athletic director, too.

Pat Haden contributed to the spectacle. The leave of absence Haden told Sarkisian to take was about seven weeks too late. Clearly, the coach is struggling with serious issues. Let's hope he's able to get help and recover. But his boss either didn’t recognize the magnitude of the problem or declined to deal with it in August, when Sarkisian made that intoxicated, profane appearance at the annual “Salute to Troy” booster function.

Either way, this debacle is on Haden. And now that Sarkisian is gone, it might be time to ask Haden to leave, too, for the latest in a series of high-profile missteps.

When he was hired, the former Trojans star was a clear upgrade from Mike Garrett, but that's not saying much. USC fans like to carp, and with some justification, about the NCAA's extremely harsh penalties for the Reggie Bush violations. But Garrett's insolence and defiance played a huge role in what the Trojans got.

Haden's arrival was hailed as an important and necessary change.

Too bad it hasn't worked out that way. In five years as athletic director, he's has gotten some things right — and some very big things wrong. He fired Lane Kiffin, who'd been hired by Garrett. But then, like Garrett before him, he mistakenly tried to recapture the Pete Carroll era by hiring a former assistant.

Never mind Sarkisian's off-field issues, which might stretch back to his time at Washington. Sarkisian deserves credit for resurrecting a Huskies program that was in ashes, but there weren't any real signs he had the coaching acumen to lead a program like USC back to its standard, which is Pac-12 titles and national titles.

Boise State's Chris Petersen, one of the winningest active coaches in college football, might not have been a great fit at USC, but he was available. Instead, he ended up at Washington after Sarkisian moved to USC. And last week, when the Huskies upset the Trojans, the coaching mismatch was glaring. It was the Trojans' second loss, and if it didn't mathematically eliminate them from any of their lofty goals, it realistically showed their obvious flaws.

Before that, there was the spectacle of Haden, during a 2014 game against Stanford, responding to a request from Sarkisian (conveyed by text message from another staff member) and leaving the press box for the sidelines, where he confronted officials over calls. The Pac-12 Conference fined Haden $25,000 and reprimanded him for "inappropriate sideline conduct." To be clear: any in-game sideline conduct by an athletic director is inappropriate, and that's before adding Haden's status as a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

And then, after Sark's antics just before the season, Haden came up with a "private plan" for Sarkisian that included counseling but did not include any time away from the job. Any doubt that it was absolutely the wrong course was removed Sunday, when according to reports, Sarkisian was not in any condition to conduct practice.

Just like in 2013, when Haden fired Kiffin at midseason, the Trojans are now in disarray, with an interim head coach and an uncertain future, on the field and especially off.

Sarkisian is clearly struggling. But his athletic director did not help him — or the football program — when he allowed Sarkisian to continue coaching after the August incident.

"I've got lots of people who disagree with me," Haden said a few days later. "That's OK. Leaders have to make decisions. Sometimes they're popular. Sometimes they're not."

And sometimes, bad decisions add up — and require someone else to make another tough decision.