Pete Carroll Grad Student Rumor: Charlie Weis Talks of USC Affair

by Jon Azpiri | December 6, 2009 at 08:49 am

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It seems that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis couldn't leave his job without taking a shot at rivals USC. Weis made a public comment about USC coach Pete Carroll that has raised eyebrows among fans and angered Carroll. Weis claimed that Pete Carroll had a girlfriend he's living with in Malibu.

During an online interview, Weis implied that Pete Carroll was living with a grad student in Malibu rather than with his wife.

Q: Is it frustrating to you Pete Carroll, for example, portrayed in one way…

CW: Let me ask you this question: You guys know about things that go on in different places. Was I living with a grad student in Malibu, or was I living with my wife in my house? You could bet that if I were living with a grad student here in South Bend, it would be national news. He’s doing it in Malibu and it’s not national news. What’s the difference? I don’t understand. Why is it okay for one guy to do things like that, but for me, I’m scrutinized when I swear. I’m sorry for swearing; absolve my sins.

Carroll heard about the grad student comment from USC's sports information director. Not surprisingly, Weis' Pete Carroll-grad student comment drew an angry reaction.

“It’s untrue, it’s irresponsible, and it’s incredible he’d be talking about me like that,” Carroll said of Weis.

The Pete Carroll grad student controversy is pretty much unchartered territory in the world of sports. It's virtually unheard of for a coach to drag someone's personal life into the public eye, especially since Charlie Weis has often asked for privacy regarding his family and their special needs child.

Charlie Weis has since told the LA Times that his Pete Carroll-Grad Student was taken out of context.

Early this morning, Weis contacted The Times and said he was having a “totally subjective” conversation with several reporters that was an aside to the formal interview. During that conversation, Weis said, he was speaking about Internet rumors and how they adversely affect the lives of coaches and their families.

“In no way was I trying to take a shot at Pete,” Weis said in a phone message. “What we were talking about was how the rumor mill can affect people’s lives. When I was asked a specific question like that, I responded like, 'This is the same crap that I’m talking about.' You start saying things like this and one thing, this guy does this and I do that and all of a sudden the Internet takes it all over the place.