Lynn Swann has resigned as USC's athletic director, effective immediately, university president Carol Folt announced in an email.
Dave Roberts, a special advisor to the president, will take over as interim AD.
“He felt that this was the professional thing to do, to resign and allow me to build my team,” Folt told the Los Angeles Times. “That really is the gist of it.”
Folt, making it clear this was what she wanted, also told the newspaper that the admissions scandal that embroiled the USC athletic department "was not a part of the decision for me," nor was the Trojans' 5-7 football season last fall.
"We appreciate Lynn’s leadership of the department over these past three years and will continue to be grateful for his historic contributions to USC," Folt wrote in the email addressed to the "Trojan community."
"I have asked Dave Roberts, currently a special advisor to the President, to serve as Interim Director of Athletics until a permanent replacement is named. In his current role, Dave serves as the NCAA’s Vice Chair of the Committee on Infractions. His experience, relationships and understanding of collegiate athletics, including as a student-athlete at UC Davis, make him well-qualified to lead the department during this period."
Folt said the position will be "filled with an experienced and accomplished individual" and announced the committee that will conduct the national search.
USC trustee Suzanne Nora Johnson will chair the search committee, which includes alumni representative Bill Allen, Vice President for Student Affairs Winston Crisp, Faculty Athletics Representative Alan Green, Academic Senate President Rebecca Lonergan, Provost Charles Zukoski, and trustees Jeff Smulyan, William McMorrow, and board chair Rick Caruso. The committee will also include two student-athletes, who will be named shortly.
Swann was hired as USC's AD on April 13, 2016, replacing Pat Haden. The former USC star wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee came into the job with no experience in athletics administration and has been a target of ire from fans.
His most high-profile decisions were first to extend football coach Clay Helton's contract through 2023, which he did in February or 2018, and to then retain Helton after USC's 5-7 season last fall. The Trojans are off to a 2-0 start and coming off a 45-20 win over Stanford.
The athletic department also incurred scandal under Swann's watch. There was the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball to ensnared former USC assistant coach Tony Bland, who was fired in January 2018, and sentenced to probation and community service for accepting bribes to direct Trojans players to a specific sports management company after college. USC then became the face of the national admissions scandal that involved senior associate AD Donna Heinel facilitating the admissions of students posing as recruited athletes to take advantage of an easier entry into the university. Swann claimed to have no knowledge of Heinel's operation.
Many wondered if Folt would give the athletic department a fresh start upon taking over this summer, and indeed she didn't wait long -- however the "resignation" came to be.
Swann attended USC's win over Stanford on Saturday night, standing by himself on the field for early warmups and seeming to take everything in -- a scene that makes sense now in context.
"Lynn has been a leader on and off the field at USC for nearly five decades, and he will forever be a valued member of the Trojan family," Folt wrote in her email.
Roberts, the interim AD, came to USC in the summer of 2010 as vide president of athletics compliance. He currently serves as the NCAA's vice chair of the committee on infractions. He also spoke to the LA Times on Monday and indicated he wouldn't be involved in hiring a new head coach if Helton struggles again this season.
"I've known Clay since he's been here. He's a great guy. I think the world of him," Roberts told the Times. "We're going to do everything to put him in the best position to succeed. But he's a coach. He's going to stand on his record. President Folt and the new AD, they'll make that decision."
