USC’s Pat Haden spells out vision for future in letter to fans

Pat Haden this week released an open letter to USC fans titled, “A Vision for the Future,” in which he reviews his five years as athletic director and looks toward the years ahead.

In the letter, Haden addresses athletic and academic successes, community outreach, the opening of the McKay Center, fundraising and a nine-point “vision for what will define success for USC athletics in the near future.”

One paragraph might have given fans pause:

“Increased food and medical benefits, rising tuition and scholarship costs, increased academic support, and unknown costs associated with ongoing NCAA litigation will be real challenges.”

Ongoing NCAA litigation?

A school spokesman said the phrase referred to litigation regarding national issues such as compensation for use of image, such as the Ed O’Bannon case. USC is not in litigation with the NCAA regarding sanctions that were imposed on USC in 2010 and ended in June, the spokesman said.