USC AD Pat Haden Comes On To Field To Argue With Referee Over Penalty

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USC AD Pat Haden Comes On To Field To Argue With Referee Over Penalty

USC Athletic Director jogs on the field to dispute a call.

In one of the weirdest things you'll ever see in a college football game, USC's athletic director Pat Haden jogged onto the field heading into the fourth quarter to dispute an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on head coach Steve Sarkisian. Earlier in the third quarter, Sarkisian erupted at officials for a penalty called on him that pushed his team back into its own end zone for a punt.

Haden was interviewed shortly after his bizarre appearance and told Heather Cox that Sarkisian actually texted him and asked him to come down to talk it over. He also said he was unhappy with the penalties in the third quarter, but was satisfied with his discussion with the referee, who told him that Sarkisian had previously been warned for his conduct.

Adding to the USC frustration, Hayes Pullard was ejected for the remainder of the game for targeting for a hit to the head on the punt coverage following Sarkisian's meltdown. The helmet-to-helmet contact was reviewed and the penalty and ejection were both upheld. Pullard will also miss the first half of next week's game against BC.

Here is the exchange that led to USC's top men in control freaking out:

[ABC]