USC Suspends Local Reporter Two Weeks For 'Violating Policies' But Here's What Really Happened | Trey Wallace

USC decided it would flex its muscles on the media this week and suspend a reporter for two weeks from the Trojans beat. What caused the suspension? The reporter wrote on something he overheard before a press gathering began.

Orange County Register and Southern California News Group reporter Luca Evans had his access to the team revoked for two weeks following a story he wrote last week on running back Quinten Joyner. The issue was that USC says he broke one of the rules pertaining to reporting on something outside of a media availability in the facility.

The problem for USC was that the conversation happened next to the media backdrop where they gather to interview Lincoln Riley and players. The crux of the story is that Evans reported on a conversation Braylan Shelby and Quinten Joyner had before getting in front of the cameras. The two players were reportedly nervous to speak with reporters, so they discussed if they knew what to say.

Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

This also led to one of the players asking if they were given bullet points on how to handle the gathering. This means, the players were wondering if the Sports Information Director had given them any talking points or how the conversation might go, which is normal in our business by the way.

USC Fans Were Taken Behind The Fourth Wall

USC is claiming Evans also broke other rules before this incident, according to the Orange Country Register. These 'rules' were asking a question once a press conference ended, or talking with players inside the facility.

But what this really comes down to is Evans reporting that one of the players asked, "Did they tell you what to say," which is a behind the scenes look at how things are done. What he was really asking was did the SID prepare him for the interview, which is part of their job.

It wasn't some grand scheme to promote what the coach wanted them to say, it was the athletic department not liking how that comes across. This is a look behind the fourth wall that some communication departments try to act like doesn't happen.

The young man was nervous, so asking if he got any tips from the sports information department is not a wild question. This shows that these players are human and young, with most of them a tad nervous in front of the cameras.

Unfortunately, folks at USC seemed to have taken this as a reason to 'suspend' a reporter for a well-written piece, which also shed a light on what these players go through in learning to be a student-athlete.

Behind The Scenes Of What Transpires At Press Gatherings

You might be asking yourself if this was worth a suspension. The answer is absolutely not. If someone is covering a team on the local basis, it's their job to learn everything they can about a roster, or individual players. Now, most SIDs are very helpful when it comes to gathering information about a player, or setting up an interview.

But what I can tell you is that if the SID is not giving some type of talking points to a player before they meet the press for maybe the first time, then they're not doing the job correctly. It's their job to know what type of questions we're going to ask, and if they're good enough, they will have the player prepared to not get caught off-guard.

You don't want a freshman to get nervous or scared while talking to the media, so even the reporters will give them a few softball questions to help. When it comes to talking with a head coach or player outside of the media room, sure there are rules.

But, there's also the 'walk and talk'. When a coach leaves the podium, a reporter might not have gotten the question they wanted answered, or maybe they want to ask the coach a question for a story that wouldn't tip-off others. This stuff happens on a daily basis around the country.

Also, if a player is standing in your ear-shot and he's around the press, it's okay for them to let their guard down. In the case of Quinten Joyner, the reporter even reached out to his father to ask about the young man and how he doesn't want to ever mess anything up, including a press conference.

USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley Comments On The Matter

Lincoln Riley met with the media this week to discuss his football team, but the denial of access to Luca Evans was brought up. Not only did the coach agree with the 'suspension', mentioning rules and policies the school has for these situations.

He did not elaborate on which rules were broken though.

When the Orange Country Register first learned of the suspension, they stood behind their reporter, calling the situation an overreaction.

"This is a huge overreaction to what the USC program perceived to be a policy violation. We clearly disagree and stand fully behind Luca,” Senior Editor Todd Harmonson said.

USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen responded to the letter sent to the Trojans, saying that their media policies are in-place to promote of culture of trust, while also supporting the football programs decision.

"After careful consideration and in alignment with the sentiment above, USC supports the football program’s decision regarding Luca’s two-week suspension. We recognize this may be disappointing, but we hope you can understand the need to enforce our media policies as we strive to create a positive and comfortable environment for our players and coaches.”

Now, USC will continue to take some slack for this situation and they don't plan on backing down. As for the suspended reporter Luca Evans, he's taking it in stride and plans to cover the team from outside the facility over the two weeks.