New documents released in Todd McNair lawsuit against NCAA
The complete record in former USC running backs coach Todd McNair's defamation lawsuit against the NCAA has been released by McNair's attorneys, according to The Orange County Register.
The 256 pages of emails and court transcripts were made public after McNair's attorneys filed a brief in the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles. The documents suggest that the NCAA broke self-imposed rules and demonstrated bias toward USC during the organization's investigation of Reggie Bush, according to TheOrange County Register.
Bush, the 2005 Heisman trophy winner, was under investigation for allegedly receiving improper benefits. McNair was also implicated in the investigation and was accused of having knowledge of the gifts.
Among the emails were messages to the NCAA Committee on Infractions from Roscoe Howard and Rodney Uphoff, who according to NCAA protocol were not supposed to influence the committee.
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Uphoff wrote to the committee that he favored “strict penalties” and that the “case cries out for something dramatic,” according to TheOrange County Register. Howard typed a self-described “rant” about all the ways be believed McNair had lied during his hearing, and said his behavior pointed to a "lack of institutional control" by USC.
In another email, committee liaison Shep Cooper called McNair "a lying, morally bankrupt criminal." Cooper originally called for USC's punishment to be a one-year postseason ban, an 82-scholarship limit and a six-scholarship loss over two years.
Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the NCAA penalized USC with historic sanctions. The Trojans were banned from the postseason for two years, limited to 75 scholarships over three years and had 30 scholarships stripped in that span.
This release follows a release of 500 pages of documents in March.
- Erin Flynn
