Royster Leaving for NFL

Mazio Royster, the forgotten man at USC last year, has decided to forgo his senior year of college football and cast his lot with the pros. He will make himself available for this spring’s NFL draft.

Royster was the third Trojan sophomore to gain more than 1,000 yards when he had 1,168 and scored eight touchdowns in 1990.

When the 1991 season began, Royster was on the cover of USC’s media guide and was projected as a potential All-American tailback and perhaps even a Heisman Trophy candidate. By season’s end, he was on the bench as the third-string tailback behind sophomore Deon Strother and junior college transfer Estrus Crayton.

Wednesday, Royster said he has decided to take his chances on professional football. It wasn’t, he said, because of his falling-out with Coach Larry Smith--a situation that apparently was resolved after the season--but because he believed it to be in his best interest.

“It was a long decision-making process,” said Royster, wearing a Ram cap and a big smile. “Once the season was over, I realized that I should wait before making any decisions that could affect my career. I talked with a lot of people, weighed a lot of factors, and today I finalized it. . . .

“If there was one thing that swayed me, it was the injury factor. I knew I could be injured and be forgotten by next year’s draft.”

A knee sprain took Royster out of the lineup in midseason. He gained 132 yards and scored two touchdowns in 29 carries against Oregon, then gained 114 yards and scored two more touchdowns in 23 carries against Washington State, when he was injured. After he recovered, Strother and Crayton continued play and Royster complained publicly.

“I know now I made a mistake,” said Royster, who straightened out his problems with Smith after USC’s 3-8 season. “I have never been an outspoken guy. My motto has always been, ‘Actions should speak louder than words,’ and that’s what I should have done.”