Trojans RB Marc Tyler not so quietly suggested to TMZ cameras that USC football players are paid (crazy idea, right?) and said something or other about a female reality TV stars. Possibly because Southern Cal head football coach Lane Kiffin (above) will do anything to defend the honor of Kim Khardasian his program, Tyler was suspended earlier today. From USA Today’s Erick Smith ;
“I was very disappointed when I learned of Marc Tyler’s inappropriate comments that were captured by the media last week,” Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said. “That is not the way that we expect our players to represent USC and our team.”
Kiffin said Tyler would not play in the season opener against Minnesota and “possibly further.” He is also banned from team activities.
“I want to apologize for embarrassing USC, my teammates and coaches. I am disappointed that I let down all the people who have supported me as I have been working through some personal issues,” Tyler said. “After meeting today with Mr. Haden and Coach Kiffin, I realize how my behavior and my statements, even though I was joking, can reflect poorly on so many people.”
In case you’re feeling a bit dizzy, a coach who parlayed his cup of coffee in Knoxville into a more lucrative pact at scandal-ridden USC is going to throw the etiquette book at an unpaid student athlete who merely said what the entire country has been thinking. And the part about USC football players getting paid, too.