LOS ANGELES -- All-American Mike Williams, was denied his request to play for Southern California by the NCAA on Thursday, leaving the star 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 with The Associated Press. "I'm disappointed. I did everything asked of me. I don't know yet what I'm going to do. I'll just relax for the weekend and watch the game and root for my team."
The ruling came down shortly before the Trojans boarded an airplane for Baltimore. They open their season Saturday night against Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.
USC coach Pete Carroll was angry with the ruling and its timing.
"It's very cold and insensitive for them to deny him this opportunity," he said. "As a football team, we've been prepared for this for a while. 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."
The school had applied to the NCAA for a progress-toward-degree waiver and reinstatement of Williams' eligibility.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1868537
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