Responding to criticism that it has failed to independently investigate or publicly address allegations that led to a probe of its athletic program, USC posted video statements Thursday evening from two top administrators.
Todd Dickey, USC's senior vice president for administration, and Athletic Director Mike Garrett appear in the videos, which were posted on the school's athletic website.
The NCAA and Pacific 10 Conference have launched an investigation into allegations involving former football star Reggie Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo.
Bush allegedly accepted thousands in cash from fledgling marketers and his family lived rent free while he was playing for USC. Mayo is accused of accepting gifts from a middleman representing a sports agency.
Tim Floyd, who resigned this week as the Trojans basketball coach, also had been recently accused of providing money to the middleman.
Dickey and Garrett said USC has refrained from speaking publicly about the allegations to ensure that the investigation is not compromised.
"Announcing or publicizing information about the investigation or what has been discovered in one interview before all of the individuals . . . have been interviewed, could pollute or influence another person's recollection, as well as the final conclusions of the investigation," Dickey said. He added, "NCAA rules require us to maintain the confidentiality of the investigation until the investigation is complete."
However, NCAA rules do not preclude college staffers from defending themselves against allegations. USC officials also have declined to take questions about Floyd's resignation, the alleged payment to the middleman or the state of the program as players left for the pros and recruits asked out of their scholarships.
A USC spokesman said Dickey and Garrett were not available for further comment.
In his statement, Dickey contradicts statements made to The Times in a May 31 article by attorneys of two key witnesses -- Lloyd Lake in the Bush inquiry and Louis Johnson in the Mayo case-- that USC failed to attempt to question them.
Dickey said, "USC repeatedly asked to participate in the NCAA's interview of Mr. Lake. However, Mr. Lake and his attorneys refused to allow the university to participate in either his interview or the interviews of his relatives."
