The most buzzed-about story in college football this week is the Sports Illustrated blockbuster look at one agent's long history of paying players -- a hefty portion of which came from UCLA and USC. Trojan AD Pat Haden released a short statement in response to the story, and there's a very telling bit at the end:
↵[We] plan on taking a leadership role with the NCAA, Pac-10 and other organizations in developing better methods to combat the destructive work being done by agents who work outside the system.↵
It's a sentiment he pretty much has to express, of course ... but if the university turns out to be serious about taking a leadership role, this could be huge. Southern California is both a hotbed of athletic talent and a hotbed of celebrity, and the culture combination has proven highly detrimental to both Los Angeles teams at times. A successful campaign that starts at what's seen (despite recent events at UNC) as the epicenter of illicit agent activity could be invaluable to the host of programs (like UNC) fighting NCAA battles of their own.
↵SB Nation's Conquest Chronicles reacts to the statement.
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