Pete Carroll historically has not held back in criticizing the NCAA for the penalties it imposed on USC.

Carroll, who led the Trojans to two national titles before he became coach of the Seattle Seahawks, had described the sanctions as “extraordinarily overdone, an overreaction.”

Of the NCAA he said: “I listened to the venom that they had for our program. They didn’t understand a thing about what we were all about. … They never were here. And they didn’t want to hear it.”

On Wednesday, a day after the release of nearly 500 pages of previously sealed documents in Todd McNair’s defamation lawsuit against the NCAA, Carroll said he was “following” the situation.


The documents show that members of the NCAA Committee on Infractions compared the case to the evidence in the Oklahoma City bombing trial, mocked USC’s response and derided the hiring of Lane Kiffin, who succeeded Carroll as coach.

“I’m interested and anxious to see what happens next,” Carroll said in a brief phone interview.

Per order by the California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal, the NCAA chose what documents to publicly refile. About 200 pages that had been sealed were left out. Among the documents not filed were emails among committee members that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge wrote in 2012 “tend to show ill will or hatred.”

Twitter: @LATimesklein