Pete Carroll became just the third head coach with a Super Bowl title and a national championship in college football in February when the Seattle Seahawks routed the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. But he said he would not have left USC in 2010 had he known what he knows now about the NCAA's treatment of USC.
USC officially comes off probation Tuesday, a probation that was levied on June 10, 2010 -- almost five months to the day (January 11) that Carroll left for Seattle.
"Had we known that that was imminent ... I would never have been able to leave under those circumstances," Carroll told the Los Angeles Times. "When I look back now, I would have stayed there to do what we needed to do to resolve the problem."
USC was cited for a lack of institutional control, and hit with a two-season postseason ban and lost 30 scholarships over a three-year period. The school also was eventually stripped of a BCS national championship.
In the ensuing four years, Carroll frequently has noted his criticism of the NCAA, including right after the Super Bowl win. He criticized the NCAA again to the Times.
"What I hope comes out of this is that this never happens to a university again," he said. "I think it was extraordinarily overdone, an overreaction."
USC athletic director Pat Haden told the Times he has no issues with Carroll. "In house (at USC) and by myself, Pete Carroll is revered," Haden said.
In February, Carroll joined Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as the only head coaches to win a Super Bowl and a national championship in college football.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.