Pat Haden, USC’s Athletic Director, fired USC Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin early Sunday morning after a blow-out loss to Arizona State 62 to 41.
While Haden had backed Kiffin right up to the game, he and other USC officials made the decision to terminate him during the third quarter.
On Monday, Pat Haden appeared on the Dan Patrick Show for an interview discussion on Haden’s move. He said that the search for a USC Coach would be such that the candidate did not have to be a USC person, but did have to have prior college coaching experience.
When Dan Patrick asked if the selection of the right candidate might involve making an offer to a coach in the NFL, Haden appeared to get a bit flustered, and said that he didn’t have a “check the box” list for the person.
Here’s the video, followed by a direct and very unedited text transcript of it:
he’s back Hayden USC Athletic Director
firing Lane Kiffin after the blowout loss over the weekend and pet
joins us now Pat how are you this morning all of my
life I didn’t end and you I’m I’m good I had a pretty good weekend
but term take me to take take me to Saturday
night can we go through the process here when you came to the decision where
you’re going to find link if in wasn’t just you know Serena Serena or
the it was a tough night are thick with
defensively which we can find very good defense the first
participating our bill was really cool the start the here the inconsistency I
think we have the first right changed and arm you know I think it’s
fair for for people say you know what we know now
that you didn’t know at the end of last year always we have played a step back and I
think there was a an expectation I hope that we would get this thing turned
around. in remember that blamed the year before
it butler or change can witness and weeks
of last year was an aberration and we’ll try to preserve pretty good
critique last year ago although small in so expected this for a while we did
some good things personal use but not five weeks but not enough and there’s no
Corey time to make a change in college
football in my professional football yet natural windows to make changes still great time
and the you know it it also I think playing in a
lot of ways misunderstood guy did a lot of good
things for us. say I have a great deal respectfully
personally professionally are very very misunderstood guy but I just
thought this was the right time with the much gut feeling is just about anything
else when did you make the decision during the years a mistake a well to hear the game a talk for president a it coming back week order to play about
1 o’clock in the morning a totally but after we landed wallet spoke only about four o’clock in the
morning for nearly an hour playing which up as you might expect get a battle a
hard look at what I do we change our perspective today see why
such a great recruiter a then the about four o’clock in the
morning notified archie by text I’ll that with
the it was Rondo’s are in for a bit coach in
the morning are coaching staff about and our team at
about 11 a bottleneck she took it pretty well in
action the plane ticket take a great a yes these are young kid
pretty resilient and you know we should be a bye week now
that the reason the the tiny also well the tiny but however by sweet but you stood
behind him you were pretty adamant about where you’re very adamant you were
sticking behind him you knew that it was a a tough end of
last season the ball game was not good a.m. what major you know believe that
there was you know maybe sunshine on the horizon
here world and you know it get again dealing credit this was a very it difficult sanction the NC it there they don’t want you to win with Jake
White three scholarships you look what happened Michigan State the nineties
when they lost 20 scholarships Alabama name is a las 20 scholarships roughly five-hour capes Alabama all the
better by far the mission state exit also about
508 are and I think head lame known what
sanctions were gonna get were here today he made earlier they do
the job but a show you know religion thing is I we have 2008 roaches and gain if you are
going to support him 100 percent if you already made a decision then should have those cookies so we always
say we support our coaches are 100 percent better than our coaches and that’s why I felt like the to respect late-night job they deserve
quite the 100 percent support are any got and I think so i three and a
half years I put my heart and soul behind him to everyone about programs coaches in
the hopes that bill do all things right including we talk to
pat him USC Athletic Director joining us Dan Patrick show could any coach have made this better
given the situation in the penalties that were there with
USC well I can I don’t know you know it’s it’s brutal out there I
mean you know we we had a guy shaker nation made a walk I but played
most of the second half Saturday night it last year he would
intern in our sports information office arm you know we had no one charge receiver plane gotta make a cherry are he know if the sanctions sessions are the good news is we’ve got one more year
those who will get to the other side those do it they teach our ships
available for next year which is a good thing all but E US very good question I think
playing with say it would be difficult for for anybody in
some party or cut getting himself for this but that there wasn’t anything at the
little that steel basically got what they wanted but you
went to the NCAA last week and it was reported you talk
to them after we saw with Penn State got sort of the to do list in would give you
some scholarships packwood the NCAA say to you and why was it different with USC well as a low shot into a it’s really a
also or just a we want to a traditional you’re
hearing process among the further committed a fraction is what
it’s called the d1 or is the presidency was kill a very unusual path the Penn State case
we all recognize that but some the rationale was at a you know
they had received some released because of their a or sexual behavior we think we’ve models
citizens are network of actions are sections came
down 2010 I’ll willie dunn just about everything
well told that a it was a long shot we realize
that what back coaching search underway now a really mean you know you always we all
respect every one of our a the sport’s biggest race ahead of
sportswear 21 a.m. part of their job is you coach gets hit
by a bus please whatever who is all with a natural candidate just
see them so you know which it we’ve talked about
this for three years a you know it all or seek forgiveness
for but you know we’ve got plenty time to do
that and I just want to be respectful or current changed and I had already
talking about assert wish to update page to go well a lot to play for. and 80 senior
class just service par-4 tension support how important is it to have
somebody who is a USC guy that important how important is it to
have somebody who is the prior head coaching experience in
college football make it important what about pro
football experience I you know it get all the species a will have a the actual what checkbox
list you know it could be. a it could be an
unusual candidate a could be a great racial kill yet we
really have got their indebtedness I just a red or blue your stuff 40 a pretty is the brand David will get it done what will call gonna
get it done all the five-part really great coaches we
have a great program surveyed over for a coaching staff is the brain
damaged well you know if you can should consider
you know a but we’ve gone through with stationed in NC Italy’s the in there
what bet scarlet letter on your well you’re
institution because you know I may have talked about it
before while 1x is just a small part of the overall budget at the University there’s a lot of reputational risk in
sports and athletics it’s about always not my biggest fears
is that doing this is that you know we we want to be. it’s good it
the rest the University the restore universe is pretty doggone
good it’s not just me but you know that is important part of
it as well so or their cell we’re very cognizant of
the fact that lot of people look at you St first time
through the 12 the aquatic what we want to win what went with
triggered it was the right way in whatever chip chip in our DNA it we
will yet all but we’re still it’ll work your
way through some challenging times sanctions before let
you go how would you describe Lane Kiffin
status going into the Arizona State Ken we’ll supportable we expected to win the
game get onto a break-in will go to our next game so there was no
is you’re thinking if this doesn’t go well
he could get fired it just came to you in the third quarter
when you guys are given they gonna 24 nothing right I believe it involves a
new cell public debt yeah I don’t think that’s the right it I
think it’s a a look at what’s happened in the first five weeks okay the what many one player one or
what well we appreciate you joining us send a
good luck with the job search thank you pat that you get the shit like at 18 USC
Athletic Director the Dan Patrick show weekday mornings on audience
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