U.S.C. Asks for Break From Penalties Pat Haden, Southern California's athletic director, said he had spoken with the N.C.A.A. president Mark Emmert about possible relief from the penalties that have weighed on the program since 2010. He said after the N.C.A.A."s recent decision to lessen the scholarship reductions that Penn State was hit with last year after the Jerry Sandusky scandal, Southern California felt compelled to discuss its sanctions. The N.C.A.A. punished U.S.C. after it was found that the former star Reggie Bush received improper benefits.