Walters May Be Headed for CFL : USC: Ottawa Rough Riders could put suspended Trojan tailback on negotiating list.

Suspended USC tailback Shawn Walters could sign soon with the Ottawa Rough Riders, Canadian Football League sources said Thursday.

Walters, a junior suspended Sept. 28, is under NCAA and Pacific 10 investigation for allegedly accepting $15,900 in cash and gifts from agent Robert Troy Caron.

The CFL has no player draft. Teams instead maintain 35-player lists for negotiating rights and the Rough Riders are expected to soon put Walters on their list.

Garney Henley, Ottawa’s director of football operations, obliquely indicated that his club is interested in Walters.

“I have some knowledge of that . . . but I don’t want to say anything else about it right now,” Henley said when asked if Ottawa would sign Walters.

Henley spoke from San Antonio, where the Rough Riders lost to San Antonio Thursday night. Ottawa (2-14) has the CFL’s worst record.

At USC, Walters was absent from practice and unavailable for comment for the second consecutive day.

USC’s football staff is beginning to believe Walters’ Trojan career is over. Coach John Robinson has indicated that he believed Walters was considering leaving USC after this season for the NFL draft.

Walters’ USC career was bright with promise a few weeks ago.

The 6-foot, 240-pounder from Arlington, Tex., had just reclaimed the starting tailback job he held last season, when he rushed for 976 yards and led USC in rushing for the second season in a row.

He became noted for punishing runs, often knocking down several defenders before being tackled. Robinson often referred to him as a “Natrone Means in the making,” a reference to the San Diego Chargers’ tailback with a similar running style.

A CFL source said Walters could sign now for next year or could conceivably be brought in to finish this season, which has only two games left. Last season, Ottawa brought in Andre Ware from the Detroit Lions for the last three games.