Tim Floyd Leaves USC Just Ahead Of The Firing Squad

A reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News said that the official NCAA report about USC's alleged rules violations might not come for six to eight weeks. And that only covers the basketball program.

No matter what it says, Tim Floyd's resignation on Tuesday should tell you all you need to know about whether he believed he would still have a job in the near future.

The month-long silence from the school about the allegations made against Floyd, now the former men's basketball coach, couldn't continue for long. According to the Daily News, the school had begun trying to find a replacement for their embattled coach. And as if that weren't enough, the regular off-season activities started to put Floyd out in public for scrutiny.

In the statement about his retirement, he said he could no longer give "full enthusiasm" to the responsibilities of a Division I coach. Funny how this came only a couple of weeks after reports about his road show with USC football coach, Pete Carroll.

He was on the proverbial rubber chicken circuit with Carroll trying to drum up support, money and love from the school's boosters. He was relegated to nodding his head while Carroll carried the load for both of them, but not until he had sounded bitter about the disintegration of his player roster.

Of course he can't give his full enthusiasm to his job. If he tries he is hit with legitimate questions about his actions related to O.J. Mayo and his associates. He'd also have to explain why players are fleeing the school to enter the NBA draft or transferring to other schools that aren't as radioactive at this moment.

Resigning now doesn't save him from a public flogging which has begun in earnest. But it should give future college employers (if there will be any) pause to consider Floyd's inability to stand tall during adverse circumstances and his disingenuous nature when asked to take a licking and keep on ticking, as the old watch commercials used to say.

After exhorting his players to stay with the program and ride the wave back to the NCAA tournament he flew to Arizona to interview for its basketball coaching position. When he did poke his head up during the recent booster tour he ridiculed the players that decided to leave the sinking ship.

NBA clubs that might think he can add a thing or two as an assistant at the end of the bench, won't care about all that. He, like Kelvin Sampson (who was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks), can't do much damage to a pro team when his responsibilities are limited at best.

I feel for the Floyd family who will bear the brunt of the reduced income, public scorn and the knowledge that their husband/father gave it all up for a young man making millions in Memphis who won't look back, even for a second.

Comments

[sportsd]

Thanks to you both for reading and making comments. Davidmnc76: I agree on the NBA taking Floyd in. He's got friends in the association. Sportswoman: not sure what article you read. I think I come down on the side of Floyd being responsible for his own demise and call him disingenuous and small.

Paula Duffy

[Sportswoman]

Paula always blaming the players. The entire department, including WBB and FB is shady. Buck stops with Garrett and his WIN AT ALL COST policy that has turned a blind eye to ethics as long as he has been at USC.

[davidmnc76]

I wouldn't worry about Timmy boy. I am sure some NBA club will give him an assistant coach job just like they did with Kelvin Sampson after his Indiana debacle. I predict John Calipari will be next to step down, I'm giving him 3 years before he screws up.