Justice of Peace

Winston Justice flinched.

Twice.

During top-ranked USC’s first offensive series against Hawaii, the Trojan right tackle moved before the snap on consecutive plays.

“I was a little anxious,” Justice said after playing in his first game since the 2004 Rose Bowl.

The false starts are about the only discernible football mistakes Justice has made since returning last January from a two-semester suspension. After serving the penalty for a student-conduct violation, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman rejoined the program in the best shape of his career and is once again regarded as an All-American candidate and top NFL prospect.

“The better I play, the more people will know me as the good football player, rather than the person who messed up,” Justice said.

Justice, who turns 21 Wednesday, was arrested in March 2004 after flashing a toy gun at another student in the parking lot of an apartment complex near campus. Justice said it was a prank that went awry, but he was suspended by USC and pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of exhibition of a replica firearm. He was sentenced to 60 days of electronic monitoring and three years’ probation.

It was the second embarrassing brush with the law for Justice, who in July 2003 was fined $300 and received three years’ probation after pleading no contest to soliciting prostitution in Long Beach.

Justice, a two-year starter, missed the Trojans’ 2004 national-championship run and contemplated turning pro before deciding to come back to continue his college career and rebuild his reputation. During an interview, the soft-spoken junior repeatedly mentioned his desire to “live down” the perception that he is trouble.

“I felt like my time at USC was unfulfilled and I had something to prove,” Justice said. “I could have gone pro, but even if I was successful, the whole SC thing would still be in the back of my mind and I didn’t want to live that way.”

Coach Pete Carroll said that Justice “never was a problem guy,” but added that time and good behavior would ultimately dictate how the former Long Beach Poly High standout was perceived. So far, Justice has impressed coaches and teammates with his attitude and work ethic.

“He’s one that really grew out of his experience,” Carroll said.

Junior Fred Matua, who starts at right guard, said Justice was welcomed back without reservation.

“We all understand that people make mistakes,” Matua said. “We don’t ever turn our back on anybody.”

Justice was 17 when he arrived at USC in 2002 and quickly became the example for a staff that sold recruits on the opportunity to contribute as freshmen. Justice did not get onto the field for the opener against Auburn, but he took first-unit repetitions during the week off that followed and celebrated his 18th birthday by starting the second game against Colorado.

He was chosen a freshman All-American as the Trojans earned their first appearance in a bowl championship series game. He remained a fixture in 2003 when the Trojans won a share of their first national title in 25 years, and was on track to become an honors candidate in 2004 until his second arrest.

Justice described his year away from football as one of the toughest of his life. Forced to live at home with his parents, and restricted in his movements by his sentence, he threw himself into a full-time workout regimen that included weightlifting, agility training, running and boxing.

Justice’s father, Gary, encouraged and, when necessary, admonished his son to remain productive and turn a negative situation into a positive one.

“He’s real tough,” Justice said. “I realize now, I should have listened to him more often.

“The older you get, the more you value how hard your parents were on you. I really value how hard my dad was on me because I’ve had some obstacles and I still had the perseverance to get over it.

“I used every day as a challenge.”

However, in watching USC roll to its perfect season, Justice wondered if the Trojans needed him. Taitusi Lutui, a junior college transfer, had filled his position and played well. Carroll was neither calling nor mailing an invitation to return.

Meanwhile, the NFL beckoned.

Justice said his flirtation with turning pro was “more of a pride issue than anything else,” and he let the draft deadline pass.

A few weeks after USC’s 55-19 rout of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, Justice reported for the first day of the Trojans’ off-season conditioning program. But the player who walked into the weight room looked different from the one last seen on the field at the Rose Bowl the year before.

Justice’s svelte physique conjured images of an NBA power forward.

“Everyone was like, ‘Wow!’ ” Matua recalled. “He came back way better. Way more conditioned.”

Justice began spring practice at the bottom of the depth chart, but was determined to win back his position. One day, he scuffled with a defensive lineman during a drill. Carroll usually waves off that kind of practice incident as simple -- and often welcome -- competitiveness.

This time, he cautioned Justice.

“He came out real feisty, with a little chip on his shoulder that was not going to help him,” Carroll said.

By the end of spring, Justice was listed No. 1 at right tackle, a situation that ultimately allowed the coaching staff to move Lutui to left guard. Offensive line coach Pat Ruel, an NFL coaching veteran, says Justice has been a model player and that he has pro talent.

“There’s a maturity level you need to have to play in the NFL to be really, really successful and a physicalness you need to have to be very successful,” Ruel said. “I think he’s progressing in both those areas.”

Justice said he would decide after the season whether to declare for the draft.

Until then, he is enjoying the opportunity to restart his career as the Trojans pursue a third consecutive national title.

“I missed playing, missed being with my guys, the offensive line,” he said. “When I was here, I didn’t value it, the camaraderie you have with your teammates. And when I was gone, I didn’t have it.

“So when I came back, I valued it and start hanging out with my team more and living in the moment because you never know when it’s going to be your last.”