WR Munir McClain, family, advisors speak out against his USC suspension
USC sophomore wide receiver Munir McClain was joined by his mother Shan McClain, older brother and teammate Abdul-Malik McClain and advisors in front of the Galen Center on Sunday afternoon to address his suspension from the Trojans football program.
McClain read from a prepared statement and did not take any questions.
"I want to thank my mom and my family, my fellow Trojan teammates and Najee Ali for their support today and over the past month. There seems to be a lot of rumors flying around , but I want nothing more than to get back to playing with the team," McClain said. "I can only confirm that I received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which Congress passed back in March to help many people who are not eligible for unemployment benefits, such as gig workers, independent contractors, and people with small businesses affected by the pandemic shutdowns.
"I applied with the help of a representative from the EDD, the California Employment Development Department, and believe that I did everything right. I hope that USC will speak to the attorneys who are helping me, Jenna Parker and Mark Hathaway, so I can have a chance to get back on the field as soon as possible."
He referred any further questions to his mother, who spoke to the gathered group of reporters along with civil rights activist Najee Ali and another family supporter Kumasi Simmons.
In addition to his brother, USC teammates Tyler Vaughns, Casey Collier, Courtland Ford, Spencer Gilbert, Adonis Otey, Eli'jah Winston and Jamar Sekona stood behind the group in support but did not speak.
"The coaches have asked the student-athletes not to speak publicly on this and we respect that. The very fact that they're standing here with us speaks for itself," Ali said.
This all started when McClain was suspended on Sept. 18, with the Los Angeles Times' Ryan Kartje reporting the timeline and some primary details of the situation earlier this week.
According to Kartje's report, two days prior to the suspension, the university’s vice president of ethics and professionalism Michael Blanton questioned McClain about unemployment benefits, as the sophomore had filed for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program over the summer when the income he earned reselling high-end sneakers had been affected by the pandemic.
Blanton then told the wide receiver's mother that a complaint had been filed about students being approached with a plan to apply for unemployment benefits and that's McClain's name was mentioned.
Federal agents later arrived on campus to question other players, according to Kartje, including McClain's older brother. According to the report, Munir McClain had not been questioned by USC or agents from the Office of the Investigator General as of Tuesday.
Shan McClain was outspoken on Twitter on Sunday about her son's suspension and later a press conference was announced, including a very strongly-worded news release from Ali that included this: “Munir, his family and teammates are refusing to stay silent and be treated as if [they're] on the slave plantation.” No context was given to explain that comment.
The "plantation" comment was also not addressed at the news conference, and if anything Sunday, Shan McClain seemed to dismiss any racial element from her complaint.
"This is not a black or white thing -- this is a 'just' thing. I just happen to be the mother that's standing here to speak because of my son Munir McClain, who has not been given a reason why he was suspended. That's not fair, that's not fair to him, that's not fair to USC, that's not fair to any U.S. citizen period. It's not right. It's not right. Munir deserves due process," she said. "He is not guilty. If he is guilty, is he chosen guilty first before innocent? Please tell me how you do it. Please show these young athletes who are risking their lives on the football field how things should be. Be an example that you wish to see. This is not right.
"I'm calling on Donald Trump, I'm calling on Gov. Newsom to protect these student-athletes, to protect them, to show them. If Munir has done something wrong please tell him what it is, please tell me what it is as a parent because I want to know. I need the support of California, I need the support of everyone right now. We need the support. The USC football team needs the support. We don't need this -- we don't need another scandal, that's not our intention. We don't need that."
Parsing the comments that have been made, it seems the specific complaint is in the details of what was and wasn't shared when Shan McClain had her initial conversation with Blanton.
"Munir has not been given the information whereas he's violating any student codes, student-athletic codes. He has not been provided with any of that. The only thing he's been told is he has been suspended until further notice. Nothing in writing or anything like that," Shan McClain said Sunday.
She and Ali indicated that they wish to meet with Blanton, athletic director Mike Bohn and or USC President Carol Folt.
"This mom has contacted USC officials, Michael Blanton, simply requesting a meeting to find out what is going on with Munir, why has he been suspended, why has he not been given due process," Ali said. "USC has completely ignored every request she's made, every request I've made, every request her lawyer's made. They've ignored her, and that's why unfortunately we had to come out to the public to make our appeal."
Shan McClain was asked directly how she felt about coach Clay Helton's handling of the situation.
"I respect Coach Helton. I respect Coach Helton and I wish not to say anything about Coach Helton," she said.
She was also asked if her older son Abdul-Malik McClain, a redshirt sophomore outside linebacker, had applied for PUA benefits as well.
"I don't want to answer that question," she said.
The university issued a statement later in the afternoon, noting that it has indeed had communications with the McClain family about the situation:
"We understand there may be more questions and concerns, but we are unable to discuss this matter because of our obligation to protect students' privacy and because of the larger investigation with which USC is cooperating. USC has spoken about this matter with Munir McClain and his mother Shan McClain. We will not discuss those conversations out of respect for student privacy and due to the pending investigation," the university statement reads.
"Coach Helton has told his team not to engage in rumors, to focus on football, and always to do the right thing. If a player or his family chooses to address the media concerning a matter that is under investigation, that is entirely their decision. USC remains committed to supporting its exceptional student-athlete community."
Meanwhile, Ali indicated that other USC students had received subpoenas relating to the matter, and he took issue with federal agents being on campus. As USC will not address specifics of the matter, it is not clear what process was followed, what alternatives were even available to not comply with federal investigators or what the university's perspective is on this. Also, it is not standard for universities to provide legal counsel to student-athletes.
"The very fact that USC has allowed the FBI to come in and essentially interrogate students, not giving them legal counsel, is something that's very troubling and unsettling. I'm a parent and I find out that the FBI has come talked to my child without my consent or legal representation, I'd be pretty concerned and upset," Ali said.
"...I'm not sure how many it is, but I do know we do plan on being in court with them. My civil rights organization are right now contacting civil rights lawyers to make sure the USC students who have been subpoenaed have legal representation on their behalf."
Munir McClain was unlikely to have a role this season for USC as he completed his rehab from a torn ACL sustained a little more than a year ago and with the Trojans wide receiver depth chart very deep ahead of him. He had shown some nice moments last preseason before the injury, however.
Helton meets with reporters on Monday morning for his regularly scheduled Zoom chat with football media, though it is expected he will not say any more on the matter beyond the statement that was released.
Without both sides of the story, it's hard to know exactly where the breakdown of communication has come and where it all goes from here.
