Robinson May Step Down

Embattled USC football coach John Robinson said Tuesday he will resign at the end of this season if he cannot lead the Trojans out of their current state of complacency, which he acknowledged has left the program in crisis.

In a candid assessment of the program, the direction of the current season and his tenuous position at the university, Robinson defused speculation about his future, saying it would be in the best interest of the program if he stepped down if the Trojans don’t step up.

USC goes into Saturday’s game at archrival Notre Dame as one of the nation’s more bewildering teams, “sleepwalking” and “choking,” Robinson said, to only the Trojans’ second 2-3 start since 1971.

“If we don’t do better, then I won’t be here,” Robinson said. “I will have had a great career here and I will step aside and say it’s time to move on. … I am not going to be a part of a situation where I let this team slide into the gutter. That won’t happen.”

Instead, USC athletic director Mike Garrett and president Steven Sample joined Robinson in presenting a united front at USC. “Steve Sample, Mike Garrett and I are not going to be separated,” Robinson said. Garrett, a critic of Robinson during 1996’s 6-6 season, echoed his coach Tuesday, asking Trojans supporters to remain patient. Robinson’s contract runs through 2001.

“Rather than being hasty and making a bad decision, everybody needs to be calm,” said Garrett, who added a final decision on Robinson’s status will be based on the direction of the program, not a win-loss record.