Top recruit Daelin Hayes decommits from USC, new allegations against Sarkisian surface
Linebacker Daelin Hayes, a five-star recruit, has pulled his commitment to USC in light of coach Steve Sarkisian’s leave of absence for reported substance abuse.
Hayes is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Michigan, the No. 3 player at his position and the No. 13 player overall.
He was scheduled to wear No. 55 next year, the number famed USC linebacker Junior Seau wore for the Trojans.
Sunday afternoon, Sarkisian was placed on leave of absence after reportedly showing up to a special teams meeting intoxicated. He did not come out to practice. Athletic director Pat Haden was notified and Sarkisian is reportedly seeking treatment for substance abuse.
In the hours since the initial news of Sarkisian’s leave of absence was reported, several more allegations of him being drunk in front of the team, including once on a team plane and most recently during the win against Arizona State, have surfaced.
Haden briefly addressed the situation Sunday afternoon, but said he had only been made aware of it about an hour before he met with media and didn’t have much to offer.
It is unclear Sarkisian’s future with the team, but if allegations that he was drunk on a team flight and during a game are true then he will surely lose his job. As it stands, assistant Clay Helton will serve as interim head coach until further notice.
For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.
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