NCAA won't reinstate USC receiver Williams

Poll: Williams vs. NCAA Did the NCAA make the right decision in denying reinstatement to Southern California wide receiver Mike Williams?

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The NCAA refused to reinstate Southern California All-American Mike Williams yesterday, leaving the wide receiver unable to rejoin the top-ranked Trojans after being shut out of the NFL draft by the courts.

"I'm glad it's over. Now the team can move forward and I can move forward," Williams said in a telephone interview. "I'm disappointed. I did everything asked of me. I don't know yet what I'm going to do."

The ruling came down shortly before the Trojans boarded an airplane for Baltimore. They open defense of their national championship tomorrow night against Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

USC vice president and legal counsel Todd Dickey said while the ruling could be appealed, the matter was closed.

"At this point, we don't believe it would be useful to go through those processes," he said. "We think the NCAA has firmly made up its mind."

Williams agreed, saying: "I'm kind of done with it right now."

USC coach Pete Carroll reacted angrily to the ruling and its timing.

"It's very cold and insensitive for them to deny him this opportunity," Carroll said. "I'm not surprised by it, but I'm disappointed for Mike and his family. You'll have to go and ask the NCAA for answers, how they can turn someone down who is academically eligible."