Johnson Castigates Garrett in Book

Former USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson ruffled some feathers in New York last week when he ripped nearly all of his New York Jet teammates and coaches in his new book, “Just Give Me the Damn Ball!”

USC didn’t go unscathed, either.

In the book, Johnson took a few shots at Trojan Athletic Director Mike Garrett.

“Mike Garrett has torn down some good people and some good programs because he’s obsessed with power,” said Johnson, in a book he wrote with Los Angeles writer Shelley Smith.

“He’s a little dude with a Napoleon complex--thinks he’s got to one-up everyone or else he won’t get the respect he thinks he deserves. That man has none of my respect. Ever since he fired Charlie Parker, the basketball coach, in the middle of last season, I’ve had nothing to do with the man.

“Garrett thinks he’s smarter than any coach and believes he needs to be in on every coaching decision. Hell, he ran George Raveling off, then tried to tell Parker what kind of offense he should run and why certain players should play ahead of others.

“He’s tried to run the football team for J. Rob [football coach John Robinson] too, but Robinson wouldn’t stand for it. Frankly, J. Rob’s got more juice at that school than Garrett, and I think Garrett needs to be thinking real hard about what he’ll be taking on if he fires Robinson, or anyone on his staff, for that matter.”

Of Robinson’s feud with Garrett last season, Johnson wrote: “There was no way in hell John Robinson deserved to lose that job. . . . I know dozens of athletes who came to USC just because he was there.”

Garrett’s only comment Wednesday night was: “I don’t want to lend any credibility to what he’s talking about.”

Johnson also took on The Times.

Of a 1994 Times report that there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a case involving the theft of a pager and cellular phone, Johnson wrote: “I never stole any of that . . . . If I had, I wouldn’t have gotten caught, that’s for sure.”