Allmond Isn’t Only Suspect

In a closed hearing that lasted hours and involved multiple witnesses, a university panel heard testimony Monday about USC receiver Marcell Allmond’s alleged involvement in an off-campus scuffle last month.

Expected to be an integral part of the Trojan offense, Allmond has been suspended from practice for more than two weeks and has yet to play this season.

At the hearing, the panel also sought information about two previous altercations in which he allegedly was involved, sources said. To make matters more complicated, while the case was being heard, police confirmed that their investigation into the most recent incident now includes other suspects.

In recent days, Allmond drew up a statement acknowledging he was at the scene of the late-August scuffle but denying that he struck the victim, a male student. Allmond collected signatures from 20 witnesses he claims can corroborate his account. The statement has been presented to team and university officials.

But the document did not state that, in the midst of what has been described as angry shouting and pushing at a nighttime party, another football player might have thrown the punch in question. A source said Allmond has been reluctant to implicate his teammate, but that witnesses might already have stepped forward to make the allegation.

“There are other suspects,” said Det. Rick Record of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division.

Police declined to identify the other suspects or say if they are USC football players. The alleged other athlete was expected to be named at the hearing.

Meanwhile, numerous witnesses testified about the prior incidents, a source said. In one case, Allmond was involved in a fight between students at a popular cafe near campus. He has claimed he fought back after being struck by another person. In the other case, a complaint was filed against him after a weekend game of pickup basketball on campus turned rough.

The accumulation of these incidents jeopardizes what was supposed to be a comeback for Allmond, who missed much of last season with an injury. As of Monday night, team officials said they had not been notified of any result from the hearing and Allmond remained under suspension. The university declined to comment.

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With his team entering a bye week, Coach Pete Carroll has written a lengthy to-do list with issues that need to be addressed beginning at practice today. Watching film of Saturday’s 10-6 loss to Kansas State reminded him of any items that might have slipped his mind.

Tops on the list:

The defense--especially Matt Grootegoed and the rest of an inexperienced linebacking crew--must “clean up” its assignments against the run.

The offense has a bigger problem. “We got knocked out of sync,” Carroll said. The linemen must block more consistently and “we have got to find ways of getting our [receivers] open against good, tight coverage,” he said.

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The NCAA has restored linebacker Chris Prosser’s eligibility. Prosser missed the first two games of the season.