Update: Athletic director Pat Haden reinstated O'Neill on Sunday.
The Arizona fan website that posted photos of USC coach Kevin O'Neill at a restaurant/bar Thursday night is reporting that O'Neill will be fired after becoming involved in an altercation with a Wildcat booster.
O'Neill and his wife, Roberta, went to the establishment after the Trojans' 70-56 victory over California in the Pacific 10 Conference tournament. They met football coach Lane Kiffin and O'Neill was photographed with an Arizona fan.
After leaving the restaurant, O'Neill went to the team's JW Marriott hotel to pick up something from his room.
While leaving the elevator in the lobby, O'Neill and his wife ran into Arizona booster Paul Weitman, who is said to have played a role in pushing O'Neill out at Tucson after he was the interim coach several years ago.
An altercation followed and depending on who you believe, either words were exchanged or a shoving match ensued. Security guards were called and O'Neill and his wife were asked to leave.
USC officials began to investigate and by Friday afternoon, O'Neill had been suspended for the remainder of the Pac-10 tournament. The coach was not even allowed to address his players before Friday night's game against Arizona, which the Wildcats won, 72-61.
Beyond writing it in their headline, there's nothing backing up their reporting. I suspect further punishment is coming, but until there's some corroboration from other news sources, firing seems a little extreme.
Posted by: Marcas Grant | March 12, 2011 at 09:04 AM