LOS ANGELES — Three months after a fellow coach accused him of tampering with the top wideout in college football, Lincoln Riley finally got the chance to publicly defend himself against those allegations Friday.
In his first Pac-12 media day as USC's coach, Riley wrote off allegations that the Trojans tampered with Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison, offering an impassioned defense of his own integrity when asked about claims levied by Pittsburgh's Pat Narduzzi last April.
"When someone challenges that with no facts and only emotion, do you take it personally? Absolutely you do," Riley said. "I understand this is an emotional time. It's an emotional game with a lot of emotional people. We recruited Jordan just like we did every other transfer. Jordan got in the transfer portal. Jordan came on a visit to USC. Despite all the negative things that were put out magically by somebody, he's a kid that's all about ball."
