Student Manager Fired for Deflating Footballs
In the wake of a devastating loss against the Oregon Ducks, the USC Athletic Department announced that they fired a student manager who intentionally deflated game-approved footballs below the NCAA-mandated pressure levels.
The announcement was made Wednesday night on the USC Athletic Department's website.
The un-named student admitted after an investigation that he in fact did tamper the footballs after the Pac-12 officials checked each of the balls' weight. But the manager said that he was not told to deflate the balls by any USC student, staff member, coach, athlete or administrator.
The school says game officials discovered three of the deflated footballs before the game began and discovered two more at halftime. All footballs were fixed before the second half of the game.
In response, the Pac-12 conference fined the university. The amount was not specified.
According to the NCAA rulebook, an NCAA football should weigh 14 to 15 ounces.
Underinflated footballs are known to be easier to catch and throw.
The Ducks defeated the Trojans 62-51.
Please proofread before posting or have someone else do this task. The phrase is "tampered with the footballs" and "each of the balls' weights." C'mon!