Keyshawn Johnson Goes Off on USC AD Mike Bohn
By Kyle Koster
USC will be ranked more favorably than No. 15, where they currently sit, when the latest College Football Playoff list comes out tonight. But the Trojans will presumably be nowhere near the top four and without much hope to make the semifinals even if they destroy Oregon by 100 points in the Pac-12 title game. This is far from a controversy or injustice as USC has played five games and needed all 60 minutes to prevail in three of them against opponents who have a combined 7-15 record. They are clearly not on par with Ohio State and anyone with a modicum of objectivity can see that, shrug their shoulders, and get on with their day.
Keyshawn Johnson, of course, is not objective. And he's objecting to the athletic director at his alma mater not objecting enough to the perceived injustice. The former Trojan wideout laid into first-year man Mike Bohn on today's Keyshawn, JWIll & Zubin for the sin of not politicking hard enough.
“That’s what we get for hiring a dude who doesn’t understand what being a Trojan is all about!”@keyshawn EVISCERATED USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn for not campaigning harder for USC to make the College Football Playoff over Ohio State. #KJZ pic.twitter.com/jnjOVHTX0d
— Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin (@KeyJayandZ) December 15, 2020
One can both understand where Johnson is coming from and find the critique moderately silly. Bohn could be out there 24/7 thumping his chest, telling everyone how great this USC team is and how they deserve a shot at the playoff. It wouldn't do anything. People can get incredibly far in this country repeating easily refutable falsehoods but some things have guardrails. Actual politics, we've seen, do not. College football does.
If being at SC means fighting a pointless fight and making cynical arguments and that's what the fanbase is going to be respond to, then Bohn should go for it and start making whatever actual case the spin doctors can make for him. It is surely undoubtably frustrating for fans to not hear him arguing on their behalf. But there also have to be a significant amount who saw this season as a fait accompli long ago and appreciate skipping the clown show.
A wise man once said discretion is the better part of valor and by sitting out this unwinnable battle, Bohn may be making future politicking more powerful as he won't be seen as the somewhat loopy guy who cried wolf.