NCAA to rule on its investigation of USC football; school reportedly gets 2-year bowl ban

NCAA to rule on its Southern Cal investigation

LOS ANGELES — The NCAA is ready to rule Thursday after its four-year investigation of Southern California’s football team. The penalties are expected to stem primarily from allegations of improper benefits given Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush.

The governing body said its announcement will come in the afternoon regarding one of the nation’s highest-profile football programs.

Two media outlets say the NCAA has decided to ban the Trojans’ football team from the postseason for two years and strip the program of scholarships. USC also is expected to face probation and possible limits on football recruiting contacts.

The Los Angeles Times said the sanctions include the loss of more than 20 scholarships. ESPN.com reported Wednesday night that the Trojans will forfeit wins from “at least the 2004 season.”

The NCAA infractions committee held a hearing with USC officials in February, and its report has been expected weekly since April.

The NCAA, the Pac-10 and even the FBI conducted investigations into the Bush family’s business relationships and USC’s responsibility for the culture around its marquee football team. The star tailback spent three seasons at the school and is now with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

The Trojans won seven straight Pac-10 championships and two national titles during the past decade under Pete Carroll, who left to coach the Seattle Seahawks after last season.

No BCS conference football programs have been banned from postseason play the past seven years, but the NCAA has been expected to make an example of USC.

USC’s players were expected to be told about the sanctions at a meeting Thursday.

“For real it’s out of our hands but I’m praying that the things they are saying aren’t true,” senior linebacker Malcolm Smith wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday night.

Last year, the NCAA reportedly bundled its Bush investigation with its look into the men’s basketball program. USC imposed its own sanctions on the basketball program four months ago over its recruitment of former player O.J. Mayo by former coach Tim Floyd. Floyd was accused of giving cash to a middleman who helped steer Mayo to USC.

The Trojans banned themselves from postseason play last season, reduced their scholarships and limited their recruiting.