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wire servicesTampa native Mike Williams, a standout receiver for USC, is told his college days are over.
LOS ANGELES - Mike Williams was shut out again.
Three months after the courts kept him out of the NFL draft, the All-America receiver from Tampa had his request to rejoin top-ranked Southern Cal denied by the NCAA on Thursday.
"I'm glad it's over. Now the team can move forward and I can move forward," Williams said. "I'm disappointed. I did everything asked of me. I don't know yet what I'm going to do. I'll just relax for the weekend and watch the game and root for my team."
The ruling was received shortly before the Trojans boarded an airplane for Baltimore. USC, which finished first in the final Associated Press poll, begins its season Saturday night against Virginia Tech in Landover, Md.
USC vice president and legal counsel Todd Dickey said while the ruling could be appealed, the matter was closed.
"At this point, we don't believe it would be useful to go through those processes," he said. "We think the NCAA has firmly made up its mind."
Williams agreed, saying: "I'm kind of done with it right now."
Trojans coach Pete Carroll made no attempt to hide his anger concerning the ruling and its timing: "It's very cold and insensitive for (the NCAA) to deny him this opportunity. I'm not surprised by it, but I'm disappointed for Mike and his family. You'll have to go and ask the NCAA for answers, how (it) can turn someone down who is otherwise academically eligible."
The NCAA issued a statement defending the timing of its announcement and its conclusions.
"There were two obstacles facing Mike for eligibility; one related to academics and one related to amateurism, and sports agents in particular," the statement said. "Either one was sufficient to prohibit participation in competition. In this case, neither obstacle could be cleared."
The organization also said it acted quickly to reach a fair decision and that the ruling came "within 24 hours of receiving the final piece of information" that it needed to complete its investigation.
USC had applied to the NCAA for a progress-toward-degree waiver and reinstatement of Williams' eligibility.
"I fear that the NCAA may have put Mike and USC through this process to make the NCAA appear fair and thorough in (its) deliberations," Dickey said. "It appears (it) may have decided long ago that Mike would not play college football again."
Williams caught 95 passes for 1,314 yards and a school-record 16 touchdowns as a sophomore last season to lead the Trojans. The 20-year-old finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
After a court ruled in February that Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was eligible for the NFL, Williams left USC, hired agent Mike Azzarelli of Tampa and said he was turning pro. Williams was projected as a high first-round pick, but on May 24, an appeals court overturned the earlier ruling and upheld the NFL's right to bar players who had been out of high school for less than three years. Williams has been out of Plant High less than three years.
After the appeals court ruling, Williams severed ties with his agent and began the process of applying to the NCAA for reinstatement. He returned to USC and took summer classes, seeking to have his academic eligibility also restored.
Two NCAA committees each considered separate issues. One was academics-related - whether Williams has made sufficient progress toward a degree. The other was whether he had returned all benefits provided him by his agent and endorsements. Williams claimed he had documented the return of all such benefits.
Williams will be eligible for next year's NFL draft. League spokesman Greg Aiello declined comment, but said Williams was informed before making his decision to go pro that if the NFL prevailed in court, he would not be eligible for the 2004 draft.