USC Apologizes to Alabama for Baxter Accusations

In June of 2010 the USC football program was placed on probation. In July of 2010 the USC athletics director issued an apology letter…to Alabama.

In the wake of the NCAA sanctions which handcuffed the Trojans, USC freshman running back Dillon Baxter made serious claims against several institutions concerning illegal contact.

Baxter had claimed Alabama, Florida, Fresno State, Oregon, and Washington had called him just hours after NCAA sanctions were handed down against the Trojans.

Baxter claimed he was contacted via phone and asked if he would be interested in transferring, due to the recent sanctions handed to USC. Given his status as an incoming freshman, contact with Baxter would have been illegal.

One minor problem…Dillon Baxter lied. Oops!

University of Alabama athletics director Mal Moore received an apology letter earlier this week from USC athletics director Mike Garrett. The issue regarding Baxter and alleged illegal contact took an entire month to finally resolve.

Garrett now confirms that he recently spoke with Dillon Baxter, and the USC freshman has said he was not contacted by the University of Alabama. Therefore, no actions will be taken by USC, the PAC-10, or the NCAA.

Mike Garrett also apologized for any inconvenience or embarrassment this matter caused the University of Alabama.

Dillon Baxter goes public about being contacted by Alabama…which is a lie…and Alabama is supposed to feel embarrassed? Okay?

At any rate, it has also been reported the University of Florida has received an apology from Mike Garrett…with the identical wording as the apology sent to Alabama.

In the early stages of the Baxter claims, many individuals deemed the allegations a lie. Just hours after the claims, knowing phone records could either prove or disprove his story; Baxter was said to have lost his phone.

In another interesting turn, it was discovered that Dillon Baxter was never recruited by the Crimson Tide. Alabama was not on the final “offer list” when Baxter signed with USC. This obvious fact made many people question, if ‘Bama didn’t want Baxter in February…why would they want him now?

Did 'Bama know about Baxter? Yes. Did 'Bama actively recruit and pursue Baxter? No.

Dillon Baxter was regarded as one of the nation’s top running backs coming out of high school. One can only hope he’s better at “covering the football”…than he is at “covering a lie.”