Todd McNair

Last updated

Todd McNair
102007-ToddMcNair.jpg
McNair walking with the USC Trojans to a stadium before a game
Personal information
Born: (1965-08-16) August 16, 1965 (age 57)
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
College: Temple
NFL Draft: 1989  / Round: 8 / Pick: 220
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:803
Rushing touchdowns:3
Receptions:254
Receiving yards:2,435
Receiving touchdowns:7
Kick return yards:1,100
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Todd Darren McNair (born August 16, 1965) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the running backs coach at the University of Southern California from 2004 to 2010, until the NCAA issued a one-year show-cause penalty against him as part of sanctions related to the ineligibility of one of his former players, Reggie Bush. McNair had a long-running lawsuit pending against the NCAA for libel, slander, breach of contract and four other alleged offenses. [1] The lawsuit finally was settled through mediation after ten years. [2]

Contents

Early years

McNair was born in Camden, New Jersey, to Todd McNair, Sr. and Carole Y. McNair. He lived in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Pennsauken High School. [3] He was a 1988 graduate of Temple University, where he played football.

McNair is the uncle of former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Isaac Redman. Younger brother Scott McNair was also a running back at Temple.

Professional football career

McNair was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the eighth round of the 1989 NFL Draft. [4] McNair played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Oilers. During his career he filled a variety of roles, including acting as lead blocker, special teams, and third-down back. [5] By the end of his career, he ran for 803 yards with 3 touchdowns, caught 252 passes with 7 touchdowns and averaged 18.6 yards on kickoff returns, retiring as the Chiefs' 10th all-time receiver.

Coaching career

McNair retired from professional football in 1996 and began coaching at Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey. McNair was the running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2001 to 2003, and joined USC Trojans from 2004 to 2009. [6] In his first season, he served as Running Backs Coach, and took on the additional position of Special Teams Coordinator in 2005. McNair was considered one of the most effective recruiters in college football. [5] He was named one of the nation's top-25 recruiters by Rivals.com. [7]

McNair's contract at USC expired June 30, 2010 and was not renewed after 6 years. [8] He played a key part in the NCAA's investigation of the school's athletic department dealing with former Trojans running back Reggie Bush.

The 2004 and 2005 USC Trojans football teams have had wins vacated and a BCS National Championship stripped following NCAA rulings that running back Reggie Bush was ineligible due to improper benefits. These sanctions have been criticized by some NCAA football writers, [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] including ESPN's Ted Miller, who wrote, "It's become an accepted fact among informed college football observers that the NCAA sanctions against USC were a travesty of justice, and the NCAA's refusal to revisit that travesty are a massive act of cowardice on the part of the organization." [14] It bears mentioning that Miller wrote this, not in the context of a commentary on the NCAA's legitimacy, but in a lamentation on that season's PAC10 title game matchup.

The NCAA ruled that McNair had engaged in unethical conduct, [15] claiming that McNair had known about some of Bush's improperly received benefits, [16] and sanctioned him with a show-cause penalty, prohibiting his interactions with football recruits for one year. [15] Following a failed appeal of his sanctions, [15] McNair announced an intent to sue the NCAA, accusing the body of libel, slander and misconduct. [16]

On January 20, 2013, it was reported that McNair would be the new running backs coach of the Arizona Cardinals. However, 12 days later, McNair stated that he would not be joining the Cardinals' coaching staff. On January 10, 2019, McNair agreed to terms to become the new running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McNair earned his first Super Bowl title when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV. [17] The Buccaneers fired McNair on January 19, 2023. [18]

Lawsuit against the NCAA

On June 6, 2011, McNair filed suit against the NCAA, alleging that the collegiate athletics governing body wrongfully caused him to lose his job with the Trojans because of punishment handed down in 2010 in the Reggie Bush case. [1] The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, sought unspecified damages for libel, slander, breach of contract and four other alleged offenses. It also took issue with the one-sided examination policy established by the NCAA, which doesn't allow those targeted by investigations to cross-examine witnesses used.

The disputed issues in McNair's appeal centered on the believability of one of the NCAA's key witnesses in the case, Lloyd Lake, the would-be sports marketer who allegedly provided substantial amounts of money to Bush's family over a two-year period while the star running back played for the Trojans. McNair, the NCAA ruled, either knew or should have known about Bush's relationship with Lake and purposely misled investigators. But McNair said that he did not know about the relationship between Lake and Bush, and that the NCAA itself committed misconduct in the process of its investigation.

In November 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Frederick Shaller ruled that the NCAA was "malicious" in its investigation of McNair. In his ruling, the Judge stated that e-mails between an investigative committee member, an NCAA worker, and a person who works in the agency's appeals division "tend to show ill will or hatred" toward McNair. In an e-mail, one staffer called McNair "a lying morally bankrupt criminal, in my view, and a hypocrite of the highest order." Judge Shaller said he would unseal the entire inquiry into McNair in December. [19] [20]

On December 3, 2018, McNair petitioned for a new trial, [21] which was granted in January 2019 with the Los Angeles Times noting, "The judge wrote that the infractions committee's report was false "in several material ways." [22]

In July 2021, McNair and the NCAA settled the lawsuit through mediation. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed. [23] [2] The USC wins remained vacated, as announced by the NCAA two days later. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Carroll</span> American football coach (born 1951)

Peter Clay Carroll is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from 2001 to 2009, where he won six bowl games and back to back National Championships in 2003 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggie Bush</span> American football player (born 1985)

Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. is an American former football running back who now serves as an on-air college football analyst for Fox Sports. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twice and won the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in the nation. Bush is widely regarded as one of the greatest college football players of all-time. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints second overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. While with the Saints, Bush was named an All-Pro punt returner in 2008 and won Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 over the Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and San Francisco 49ers before retiring from professional football in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Neuheisel</span> American football analyst, coach, player, and attorney (born 1961)

Richard Gerald Neuheisel Jr. is an American football analyst, coach, former player, and attorney. He served as the head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1995 to 1999, at the University of Washington from 1999 to 2002, and at his alma mater, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), from 2008 to 2011, compiling a career college football coaching record of 87–59. From 2005 to 2007, Neuheisel was an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL), as quarterbacks coach for two seasons and offensive coordinator for one. He formerly served as head coach for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) before the collapse of the league. Before coaching, Neuheisel played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins from 1980 to 1983, then spent two seasons with the San Antonio Gunslingers of the United States Football League (USFL) before splitting the 1987 NFL season between the San Diego Chargers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USC Trojans football</span> American college football team at University of Southern California

The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane Kiffin</span> American football coach (born 1975)

Lane Monte Kiffin is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Football League's Oakland Raiders from 2007 to 2008, head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers college football team in 2009, and head coach of the Trojans from 2010 to 2013. He was the youngest head coach in modern NFL history at the time when he joined the Raiders, and, for a time, was the youngest head coach of a BCS Conference team in college football. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama from 2014 until 2016, when he was hired to be the head coach at Florida Atlantic, a position he held until December 2019, when he became the head coach at Ole Miss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Rose Bowl</span> 2006 edition of the Rose Bowl American Football championship

The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, was an American college football bowl game that served as the BCS National Championship Game for the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the only two unbeaten teams of the season: the defending Rose Bowl champion and reigning Big 12 Conference champion Texas Longhorns played Pacific-10 Conference titleholders and two-time defending AP national champions, the USC Trojans. Texas would defeat USC 41–38 to capture its fourth football championship in program history. The game was a back-and-forth contest; Texas's victory was not secured until the game's final nineteen seconds. Vince Young, the Texas quarterback, and Michael Huff, a Texas safety, were named the offensive and defensive Rose Bowl Players Of The Game. ESPN named Young's fourth-down, game-winning touchdown run the fifth-highest rated play in college football history. The game is the highest-rated BCS game in TV history with 21.7% of households watching it, and is often considered the greatest Rose Bowl game of all time, as well as the greatest college football game ever played.

The 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame football game was a regular season game that took place on October 15, 2005 at Notre Dame Stadium. The game between perennial rivals USC and Notre Dame was played for the Jeweled Shillelagh. The game was preceded by much pre-game hype, including a visit by College GameDay. In what became known as the "Bush Push", the game ended with Reggie Bush pushed quarterback Matt Leinart into the end zone for the winning touchdown. His push was illegal assistance under the laws of the game but it was not called a foul by the officials.

The 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, winning the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship. The team was coached by Pete Carroll, led on offense by quarterback and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The 2006 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, winning the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) and playing in the Rose Bowl. The team was coached by Pete Carroll, led on offense by quarterback John David Booty, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Orange Bowl</span> College football game

The 2005 Orange Bowl was the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The game matched the USC Trojans against the Oklahoma Sooners. Both teams entered with undefeated, 12–0 records. Despite only being a 1-point favorite, USC defeated Oklahoma by a score of 55–19, led by quarterback Matt Leinart. ESPN named Leinart's performance as one of the top-10 performances in the first ten years of the BCS system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe McKnight</span> American gridiron football player (1988–2016)

Joseph Nathan McKnight Jr. was an American football running back and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).

The 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. The 2004 Trojans football team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National Championship Game. The team also won the AP title for the second year in a row. It was the Trojans' first undisputed national championship since 1972, and the second time a team had gone wire-to-wire, with the Trojans holding the number 1 spot in the polls all season. The team was coached by Pete Carroll in his fourth year with the Trojans, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team is widely considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time.

The 2008 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the 2008 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Pete Carroll and played their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre Dame–USC football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Notre Dame–USC football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and USC Trojans football team of the University of Southern California, customarily played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day when the game is in Los Angeles or on the second or third Saturday of October when the game is in South Bend, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 California Golden Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 2005 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California and were coached by Jeff Tedford.

The 2010 Pacific-10 Conference football season began on September 2, 2010 with a victory by USC at Hawaii. Conference play began on September 11 with Stanford shutting out UCLA 35–0 in Pasadena on ESPN.

The 2010 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Trojans were led by head coach Lane Kiffin, who was in his 1st season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as members of the Pacific-10 Conference.

In the University of Southern California athletics scandal, the University of Southern California (USC) was investigated and punished for NCAA rules violations in the Trojan football, men's basketball and women's tennis programs.

The 2011 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Trojans were led by head coach Lane Kiffin in his second season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and are members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. After a triple-overtime loss to Stanford, the Trojans won their last four games, including a 50–0 win over rival UCLA in the regular-season finale. USC ended their season ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll with a 10–2 record overall and finished first in the South Division with a 7–2 record in Pac-12 play. However, as part of a post-season ban mandated by the NCAA, the Trojans could not participate in the conference championship game or play in a bowl game. USC concluded their season with two thousand-yard receivers, a thousand-yard rusher, and a 3,000-yard passer for the first time since the 2005 season, when Kiffin served as offensive coordinator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Helton</span> American football player and coach (born 1972)

Clay Charles Helton is an American college football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach at Georgia Southern. He was previously the head coach of USC from 2015 to 2021. Helton has also been an assistant coach for Duke, Houston and Memphis. His father, Kim Helton, was a coach in college, the National Football League, and the Canadian Football League.

References

  1. 1 2 Ex-USC coach Todd McNair sues NCAA ESPN, June 6, 2011
  2. 1 2 Dodd, Dennis - USC assistant Todd McNair's defamation lawsuit against the NCAA settled after 10 years CBS Sports, July 26, 2021
  3. ↑ Staff. "A BIT OF BROAD STREET IN K.C. DRAFT REUNITES MCNAIR WITH TEMPLE FRIENDS", The Philadelphia Inquirer , April 25, 1989. Accessed May 30, 2013. "'I think it will be a real good situation for me,' McNair said from his Pennsauken home."
  4. ↑ "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Matt Hayes, When McNair makes pitch, USC gets catch [ dead link ], Sporting News, June 7, 2007.
  6. ↑ Klein, Gary. "Ex-USC assistant Todd McNair seeks vindication from Reggie Bush saga". latimes.com.
  7. ↑ Jeremy Crabtree, Rivals.com Top-25 Recruiters, Rivals.com, February 12, 2007.
  8. ↑ Gary Klein, USC parts ways with running backs coach Todd McNair, Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2010
  9. ↑ Jay Bilas, "Anyone know what NCAA's standards are?", ESPN.com , July 1, 2010.
  10. ↑ Bryant Gumbel, "Student/Athlete Behavior", Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel , September 21, 2010.
  11. ↑ Bryan Fischer, " Trojans never stood a chance after taking NCAA's best shot", CBSSports.com , May 26, 2011.
  12. ↑ Pete Fiutak, "USC paying for NCAA's inconsistency?", FoxSports.com , May 26, 2011.
  13. ↑ Stewart Mandel, "What USC's sanctions mean for Ohio State", SportsIllustrated.com , April 27, 2011.
  14. ↑ "What we learned in the Pac-12: Week 14". ESPN.com. December 4, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 "NCAA appeals committee upholds sanctions against former USC running backs coach Todd McNair", Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times , April 29, 2011
  16. 1 2 "Former USC assistant Todd McNair sues NCAA over Reggie Bush case", Sports Illustrated , June 6, 2011
  17. ↑ "Super Bowl LV - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 7th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  18. ↑ Simmons, Myles (January 19, 2023). "Report: Bucs fire offensive assistants Kevin Garver and Todd McNair; Clyde Christensen to retire". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  19. ↑ Editors (November 21, 2012) "USC investigation: Judge calls NCAA report on Todd McNair 'malicious'." Sporting News. (Retrieved 12-6-12.)
  20. ↑ Sports XChange (November 28, 2012) "Report: Three violated NCAA ethics code in USC appeal." Yahoo Sports. (Retrieved 12-6-12.)
  21. ↑ Fenno, Nathan. "Former USC assistant coach Todd McNair files motion for new trial in lawsuit against NCAA". latimes.com.
  22. ↑ Fenno, Nathan. "Ex-USC assistant coach Todd McNair granted new trial in lawsuit against NCAA". latimes.com.
  23. ↑ Schlabach,, Mark et al (July 26, 2021) "Former USC football assistant Todd McNair, NCAA settle defamation lawsuit." ESPN.com. (Retrieved July 26, 2021.)
  24. ↑ Bromberg, Nick - Sorry, Reggie Bush: NCAA won't reinstate vacated stats and records after NIL rules changes. Yahoo! Sports, via MSN.COM. July 28, 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.