USC football coach Clay Helton was not scheduled to be made available to reporters again until Saturday, but he held a post-practice media session Tuesday and led off with a statement about the national admissions scandal involving the university.

Helton did not take questions, saying he could not speak on the matter due to the "ongoing review of the matter" -- even though Trojans athletic director Lynn Swann spoke to the LA Times about it late last week.

"Before I talk a little football, I know it's been a hard week for our university. And when it comes to the Department of Justice investigation, I want you to know that I learned about the investigation and the facts alleged by the government at the same time that everybody else did when the news broke Tuesday," Helton said. "I was not aware of any of it before then, and like so many of the USC family, totally shocked by the allegations. And because this is an ongoing review of the matter, myself, our staff and our players cannot answer any questions on that matter and I hope you will respect that."

Helton was not asked any follow-up questions and segued to other matters, including the loss of recruiting director Eric Ziskin and other staff hires, before opening it up for questions.

USC fired senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and water polo coach Jovan Vavic after the news broke last Tuesday. Both were alleged to be involved in a scheme to take bribes to help get students admitted to the university through the flexible standards applied to recruited athletes, but with prospective students with fabricated athletic profiles.

In indictments brought to federal court in Massachusetts, Heinel is alleged to have received bribes totaling $1.3 million for her involvement in the scheme, for bringing 24 falsified athlete profiles (including three posing as football recruits) to the subcommittee that would ultimately approve their admission through the aforementioned athletic side door, as it's been called. Vavic, who piled up national championships with the men's and women's water polo programs, was alleged to receive $250,000 for his involvement.

Former USC women's soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin and former assistant coach Laura Janke, who both left the university years earlier, were also implicated.

Swann, like Helton, said he was "blindsided" by the news last Tuesday when the indictments dropped, in comments made to the LA Times.