Williams Won’t Face Team Discipline

USC defensive tackle Aaron Williams was arrested last week in Orange County for prowling, but Coach Paul Hackett said he believes Williams was merely lost and that he won’t face disciplinary action while the case is pending.

Costa Mesa police Lt. Ron Smith said Williams was arrested shortly after noon Dec. 16 after approaching a house while wearing torn jogging shorts that exposed him.

Williams was released after posting a $500 bond and also was cited for driving with an expired license. He has not yet been arraigned but would face a misdemeanor charge.

“With all due respect, I can’t say anything. You’ll have to talk to Coach Hackett,” said Williams, who is recovering from an ankle sprain and is expected to be available for the Sun Bowl.

Hackett said, “He was going to see someone in a very, very foreign neighborhood and found himself in unfamiliar territory. He goes up to a house and someone becomes alarmed.

“This is one of the most outstanding young men we have on this football team--academics, leadership. I’m not in a situation where I’m saying everything was OK. Either your driver’s license is valid or it isn’t.”

According to Smith, police were unable to corroborate Williams’ explanation of what happened.

“He entered a side gate and when he was confronted said he was looking for his dog,” Smith said. “He drove away and the victim saw him drive past again and called police. Then he said he’s looking for a girl’s house in the area. We tried to check his alibi and couldn’t find any girlfriend and his dog he was looking for was actually at his mother’s house.”

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Hackett has been asking NFL teams about junior linebacker Chris Claiborne’s draft status and learning that Claiborne is consistently projected to go in the top 10 if he turns pro. Claiborne won the Butkus Award and became USC’s first unanimous All-American linebacker this season.

He is expected to wait until after the Sun Bowl to announce a decision. Junior receiver R. Jay Soward is also considering leaving early.

“R. Jay, I haven’t done as much research,” Hackett said. “In my opinion, the kind of year he had, he certainly could benefit from another year [in school].”

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Tailback Chad Morton tweaked his ankle in practice and Hackett is hopeful he’ll improve with several days off before the team leaves for El Paso.

“If this were next Tuesday and this happened, I’d be panicking,” Hackett said.

Next Up for USC

What: Sun Bowl TCU (6-5) vs. USC (8-4)

Where: El Paso

When: Dec. 3

Time: 11 a.m.

TV: Channel 2

Radio: XTRA (690)