The irony of USC quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus’s arrest and resulting indefinite suspension was certainly not lost on us.
Considering he is widely regarded as a primary factor for the on-field improvement of currently suspended quarterback Stephen Garcia, who has had his own share of behavioral problems and arrests, you’d think Mangus would do his best to appear to be a positively influential mentor for Garcia, quarterbacks and all players.
Instead, Mangus was arrested in Greenville, S.C., early Tuesday morning for “nuisance conduct” — drunkenly urinating in public. This occurred, no less, while he was representing the university at a South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association All-Sports clinic.
Mangus has been indefinitely suspended from all coaching activities as a result of his actions, and rightfully so. If students and athletes are to be held to certain behavioral standards, coaches and faculty should be as well. They represent USC and our football team, and South Carolina really doesn’t ever need any additional bad publicity for inappropriate behavior and run-ins with the law.
It’s good to know that Mangus apologized and takes full responsibility for his actions, but it would’ve been nice if he had thought about the consequences of such hypocritical conduct beforehand.